Fisheries
We are confident to state that Nipissing First Nation has become a leader in fisheries management. Many calls come in from other First Nations and from different reporters asking ‘How did you do it?’ Our answer is that we didn’t. Success with the fisheries program is because of the NFN community. You cannot have a successful program without the support of the community. The community wanted a regulated commercial fishery so that there would be fish for the future. Several successive councils made the investment, and the fishermen made it work.
 |
 |
Fresh pickerel caught by Nipissing First Nation is now proudly served in most North Bay restaurants and many in southern Ontario and beyond. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit had nothing but compliments for our program and the fish cleaning operation at the Old Chief Fish Market. Nipissing First Nation Fisheries is featured in the premier issue of Spirit of the North magazine which is available all across the country. Word is definitely out that the people of Nipissing First Nation have a success story to be proud of.
With all of the recent success come new challenges. Fish cannot be served in a restaurant unless it is cleaned in an inspected facility. The Old Chief Fish Market is one of only two very small recognized facilities for providing fish to restaurants. The other is the new R & J Meat and Fish Market on Highway 17. Thanks to a three-way funding partnership between Nipissing First Nation, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and FedNor, construction of a new building for fish cleaning is under way. This building will be registered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and any fish cleaned in it can be sold anywhere in Canada. Now all fishermen will have access to a safe place to clean their catch, and this will in turn mean better prices. The next challenge will be a successful business model, where all fishermen will need to work together to get the best price for their fish. There is a limit to how many fish can come out of the lake in a year without hurting the fish stocks. The challenge is to make sure that those fish are sold at a price that reflects what those fish are worth.
Our Stamp of Approval
Do you want to make sure the fish you bought were caught by fishermen that care about the lake and fish by following the NFN fishing law? Do you want to assure that it was fresh, wholesome and cleaned in a government inspected facility? Look for the label. The label is your guarantee for certified Nipissing First Nation pickerel. People are now asking for it by name. Many buyers want to recognize the efforts of our responsible fishermen and will only serve certified pickerel. Expect this trend to continue as our fish cleaning building goes up and we promote the certified products even more.
Taking CareOur core work in fisheries is still assessing the fish populations, improving regulations and setting harvest levels to make sure there are fish for the future. The pickerel fishery is still stressed but it continues to improve. One major key to improvement is following the fishing regulations. There are now very few commercial fishermen that do not comply. Our department now has a dedicated enforcement technician that patrols the lake full time in case there are problems. Last year with the help of the community we held our first restorative justice circle to deal with some problems with fishing in the spring. The circle was a success and we will continue to develop it with the help of the community. Usually when there is a problem, it’s about awareness – people are not aware of what NFN is trying to do and what it has done because of the regulations. The message is getting out.
