UBC Graduate Research

Towards a Brighter Fishing Future: Social and Economic Indicators to Measure Outcomes of the T'aaq-wiihak Fisheries Merritt, Annie

Abstract

This report has been written to support the efforts of the Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Hesquiaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, and Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nations to re-establish the T’aaq-wiihak fisheries, whereby the Nations’ fishers are granted permission to fish by their hereditary chief. The development of these fisheries has followed from the recognition of the Aboriginal rights of these Nuu-chah-nulth Nations to harvest and sell fish from their territories in the waters off of the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI). The purpose of this document, which was prepared for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, is to develop a set of social and economic indicators for monitoring the outcomes of the T’aaq-wiihak fisheries. In the near term, this indicator suite may be used to navigate ongoing negotiations surrounding the terms of the fishery. In the long-term, it may also be used by the T’aaq-wiihak Nations as a tool used for informing decision-making and management. To contribute towards the development of an indicator suite, this report answers the following questions: 1) what key community objectives are held by fishers, fishery managers, and other members of the T’aaq-wiihak Nations, and how can these be translated into locally suitable socio-economic indicators? 2) What are the best practices regarding the use of indicators for monitoring social and economic variables in the fishery indicator literature? An integrative approach is taken to indicator development, combining top-down, literature based methodologies with bottom-up, community-driven methodologies in order to arrive at a set of indicators that are cost-effective, theoretically sound, and consistent with T’aaq-wiihak Nation members’ values and priorities.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International