Global warming and the decline in biodiversity are having an impact on commercial fishing, but also on subsistence hunting and fishing. Organizations from different Indigenous nations are working to safeguard their ancestral rights. The initiatives covered here are those for which we found the most information.
Nunavik
In Nunavik, the Anguvigaq association works on several fronts to ensure the sustainability of the resources needed for hunting and fishing activities. Anguvigaq’s main objectives are to:
- Ensure the conservation of wildlife resources for sustainable harvesting for current and future generations;
- Protect wildlife habitats;
- Ensure that subsistence harvesting takes priority over any other use of wildlife;
- Ensure recognition of the role of Inuit expertise in the co-management of wildlife resources;
- Educate, train and organize the Inuit and their institutions to manage wildlife themselves.
Their projects are structured around these objectives, including the organization of a multigenerational camp on the transmission of knowledge related to beluga observation, hunting and preparation. They also secured a traditional beluga hunting site by building shelters and installing freezers, so that hunters are not in a hurry to return home once the animal is killed and can wait for favourable weather, since global warming has made this site more difficult to access.
Côte-Nord
A little further south, AMIK, an Innu non-profit organization, has set itself the mission of supporting Innu communities in the sustainable management of aquatic and ocean resources and the development of a fishing economy. AMIK enables its member communities to participate in important decision-making processes, making the Innu expert partners of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as well as other players in fisheries and resource management in Quebec.
