By Irine Polyzogopoulos, Communications and Development Coordinator
Nuu-chah-nulth Ha’wiih (hereditary chiefs) unanimously adopted the 2024-2029 Uu-a-thluk Strategic Plan at the June Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries meeting. This followed a one-and-a-half-year engagement process that saw Uu-a-thluk staff meeting in person and online with Nuu-chah-nulth Ha’wiih, elected chiefs, fisheries managers/technicians and knowledge-holders to harvest feedback on Nuu-chah-nulth Nations’ fisheries priorities.
Titled “Working Today to Secure our Tomorrow,” the plan contains the blueprint for Uu-a-thluk’s activity in support of Nuu-chah-nulth Nations fisheries and stewardship departments. Work is divided into four areas of focus: access, management, capacity building and organizational development.
The new plan builds on the success of the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan by incorporating UNDRIP (United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) language that affirms the direction the Ha’wiih have given. It also acknowledges a fourth Nuu-chah-nulth principle, ḥaaḥuupastał, that will guide Uu-a-thluk’s work.
The principle reminds us of the importance of teaching one another and sharing our knowledge and experience, as the wisdom among Nuu-chah-nulth Nations spans millennia.
