The Taku River Tlingit First Nation of Northwest British Columbia harvests
salmon for commercial, cultural, and sustenance purposes. In this case study I describe
the current co-management process of the Taku River salmon fishery as it exists between
the First Nation and the Canadian and Alaskan governments, drawing primarily on
ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2007. In the past, Tlingit families
spent the summer on the lower Taku River and vicinity, fishing as part of the seasonal
round. Today many families continue to fish on the Taku, and life downriver is a
rhythmic blend of hard work and rest. I experienced the knowledge sharing, cooperation,
and flexibility that exists downriver and caught a glimpse of a particular Tlingit
worldview. There exists a sense of community on the river between the Tlingit fishers,
the non-native fishers, and scientists from both Alaska and Canada. Interaction and
cooperation between these stakeholders occurs at different scales from individual to
international. In both politics and daily life downriver, worldviews become intertwined
in a dynamic play between the groups. Though problems and misunderstandings can
arise at these junctures, the potential for knowledge sharing across these boundaries
exists and should be recognized. In order for the Taku River Tlingit to attain legalized
co-management of their fisheries they must gain sovereignty through settled land claims.
Once this is established they will be in a position to utilize their own ecological and local
knowledge to continue working closely with government agencies and non-native fishers
in the area.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/5634 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Dain-Owens, Susan L. |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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