Vancouver Island First Nation declares marine protected area

Dozens gathered at the Tsawout Big House Wednesday to witness the signing of a declaration to assert Indigenous jurisdiction for management and stewardship of waters off southern Vancouver Island.

“[We’re] taking back a little bit of jurisdiction to protect the waters out here,” said Tsawout acting chief John Etzel.

It’s a marine area that Dion Joseph, a Tsawout fisherman, says has been greatly depleted due to irresponsible overfishing and the erosion of treaty rights dating back 170 years.

“This will enable us to have a nice sustainable fishery for all the people in the community. So I can put food on everybody's table,” said Joseph.

There have been other similar declarations elsewhere, but this is the first one in the Salish Sea.

The Tsawout declared the creation of 155 square kilometres of protected marine area off the coast of the Saanich Peninsula, a region that contains many traditional Tsawout spiritual, cultural and seafood harvesting sites.

“It’s all about the waters and protecting the food sources that come from the waters,” said Etzel.

Brian Thom was at the declaration signing ceremony on Wednesday. He’s a member of UVic’s anthropology department and also teaches Indigenous law courses at UVic.

He expects to see more of these declarations from other First Nations

“[We're] realizing that Indigenous-protected areas are a crucial component of how we're going to meet our targets dealing with climate change mitigation,” said Thom.

The details of the declaration, including possible fishing restrictions and enforcement, haven't been worked out or postposed yet, but the First Nation is calling on the provincial and federal governments to partner with them.

“Come to our table, sit at our table with us,” said Etzel.

The province issued a statement Wednesday, stating it respected and acknowledged the declaration and the efforts to protect the ecosystem

"Our government welcomes the opportunity to work with Tsawout First Nation to better understand shared values and perspectives around coastal and marine stewardship," the province said.