Tsartlip Stewardship Launches Loss of Use Program
Earlier this month Tsartlip’s Stewardship Department launched a new project designed to quantify and restore the loss of access to fishing rights under the Douglas Treaty.
The Knowledge keepers and elders that make up the Stewardship Committee, along with Tsartlip Drum Group and community partners from Trailmark gathered for a ceremony to open the project in a good way.
Present for the initial ceremony were Ivan Wayne Morris, Paul Sam, Carl Olsen, and community partner, Peter Evans of Trailmark.
Shown above: Tsartlip Drum Group Leo Harry, Rob Morris, Kevin Morris & Will BJ Sam during
the opening ceremony of the Loss of Use Program.
Shown above: On the left, Peter Evans from Trailmark, and on the right Knowledge keeper Carl Olsen
who jointly won a Supreme Court Case restoring the right to hunt at night.
Shown above: Knowledge Keeper Ivan Wayne Morris who jointly won a
Supreme Court Case restoring the right to hunt at night.
The Douglas Treaty Loss of Use project is a capacity initiative that builds off the 2018 study that was done at Robert’s Bank Terminal on the impacts of industry on the ability of Coast Salish people to fulfill their Douglas Treaty rights; namely to hunt and fish as formerly.
The reality is that Tsartlip has experienced an ongoing and significant loss of use of traditional territories. From closed shellfish harvesting due to high coliform levels in the Saanich Inlet to reduced availability of fish, and endangerment of key species in the ecosystems, the ability to practice inherent Douglas Treaty rights, such as fishing, has been far reduced for Tsartlip Community Members.
The loss of use, as it pertains to fish is especially problematic in the context of Coast Salish diets. Formerly high in seafood, now replaced with more processed foods, the health effects of eating a diet so far removed from what was traditional have created health issues like diabetes.
Factoring in the changes to the ecosystem from high-density anchorages, marinas, shipping lanes, and tanker traffic, the conditions in the Salish Sea are constantly changing, as is their impact on Tsartlip’s community members.
As such, the project will begin with the creation of maps that outline traditional usage and names of places, especially fisheries. In this way, the loss of use can then be better known and measured. Upon completion, the map will become a digital asset and the intellectual property of the Tsartlip community.
Beginning with interviews of Knowledge Holders and Elders, the knowledge transfer, analysis, recommendations, and final report including the plan for execution is expected to take three years.
The goal of this project is to gather the relevant data on Marine Loss of Use and then begin to remedy it by generating a list of action items.
Shares Will Morris, Director of Stewardship “In addition to the action items, both the map and final Loss of Use report will equip Chief and Council with the data and recommendations they need to advocate for the Douglas Treaty fishing rights of our community members.”
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