By Jim Lane, Director of Fisheries
The ʔuuʔaałuk ƛusmit Research Program developed a novel framework for assessing and managing Pacific Herring fisheries on the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI). The program has generated new insights into the ecological and human dimensions of sustainability that can inform management policy and support decision-making in WCVI. The Project Team is diverse, and includes researchers and representatives from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and consultants from Landmark Fisheries Research.
The ʔuuʔaałuk ƛusmit Program includes 3 research projects that address Nuu-chah-nulth priorities and perspectives: Project 1 Herring Predation (completed; 2020-2024), Project 2 ʔaayaaqa (Herring) Spawning Dynamics (2023-2026), and Project 3 A Community of Practice for integrating diverse objectives into harvest strategy frameworks for WCVI Herring (2025-2026).
Projects 1 and 2 were funded by the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund and focused on ecological models and ecosystem-based management; Project 3 was funded by DFO’s Sustainable Fisheries Science Fund, and provides a link between Nuu-chah-nulth management, ecological models, and decision support under DFO’s Sustainable Fisheries Framework.
In 2024 our predation research was published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, and presented at the 154th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Hawaii.
