Aquaculture Management and Governance

The National Aquaculture Working Group (“NAWG”) is a technical sub-committee table of the National Fisheries Committee (NFC) that provides First Nations technical expertise on various Aquaculture policies, and legislative and program development.

NAWG supports and facilitates the sharing or exchange of information relating to First Nations’ aquaculture management and governance issues at the national and regional levels in an effort to advance the collective interests of First Nations.

The NAWG does not replace consultation or engagement with First Nations but its members may raise their concerns to avoid further infringements on their Aboriginal, Treaty, and international Indigenous Rights.

Protecting First Nations Fisheries and their Inland Habitats

The National Inland Working Group is a technical sub-committee table of the National Fisheries Committee that provides the NFC with First Nations technical expertise on various Department of Fisheries and Oceans policies, as well as legislative and program development related to freshwater fisheries.

From 2019-2021, the Fisheries Sector hosted four technical workshops with First Nation communities across Canada to steer and inform the development of guidance for Indigenous Knowledge. From these in-person and virtual workshops, First Nations discussed the drafting of their own laws and regulations to manage aquatic resources, including fish and fish habitat, in their traditional territories based on Indigenous knowledge. Workshop attendees discuss the development of protocols to ensure the knowledge is respected, accurate, and can be protected from exploitation. The key to these protocols are in communicating their application by Ministers’ decision-making processes.

Oceans, Governance & Transport

The mandate of the First Nations Oceans Working Group was created by AFN Resolution #5/2018 and its scope will be determined annually by the National Fisheries Committee to use its technical expertise and knowledge of First Nations fisheries policy concerns and advise the AFN on fisheries challenges.

The AFN Fisheries sector provides the technical support to the National Fisheries Committee. The First Nations Oceans Working Group reports to the National Fisheries Committee. Indigenous Marine Protected Areas Working Group now reports to the Advisory Committee on the Environment.

In 2016, the Government of Canada launched the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP), a $1.5 billion interdepartmental strategy delivered by Transport Canada (TC), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Natural Resources Canada that is aimed at protecting Canada’s coasts and waterways under the core pillars of a state-of-the-art Marine Safety System, Stronger Evidence Base, Increased Community Participation and Public Awareness, Preservation and Restoration of Marine Ecosystems, and Indigenous Partnerships.

The Oceans Protection Plan Subcommittee of the AFN and Transport Canada are participating in a joint national assessment of the OPP. The OPP Subcommittee’s goals for the assessment are to:

• Incorporate Indigenous marine values and ways of knowing into assessment design and methods;
• Provide an opportunity for First Nations to collaborate;
• Gain clarity about OPP activities; and
• Provide recommendations and an assessment framework for the next phase of the OPP.