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Topic

Centering Indigenous Voices in Knowledge Co-production of Pacific Salmon Monitoring & Management

School of Environmental Studies

Date & location

• Friday, November 21, 2025

• 12:00 P.M.

• Clearihue Building, Room B007

• And Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Natalie Ban, School of Environmental Studies, ӣ��Ӱ�� (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Charlotte Whitney, School of Environmental Studies, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Trevor Lantz, School of Environmental Studies, UVic (Member)

• Dr. Will Atlas, Salmon Watershed Scientist, Wild Salmon Center (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Hekia Bodwitch, School of Arts & Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. John Taylor, Department of Biology, UVic 

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples across the west coast of what is now known as North America (the Pacific Northwest region) face persistent and systemic challenges stemming from the legal, regulatory, and environmental context of the fisheries upon which they depend. Despite commitments to reconciliation (e.g. the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), interactions between colonialism and centralized fisheries management continue to generate governance inequities and have contributed to ongoing declines of many Pacific salmon populations. Current fisheries management regimes, led primarily by federal and state agencies and grounded in western science, frequently overlook or marginalize Indigenous Knowledge Systems that have sustained Pacific salmon populations for millennia. At the same time, critical data gaps in fisheries and population monitoring persist, further constraining conservation efforts and limiting Indigenous Peoples’ ability to rightfully access and steward their fisheries. Given the interconnectedness between coastal Indigenous Peoples and Pacific salmon, these cumulative impacts and governance realities erode Indigenous food sovereignty, undermine food systems, cultural practices and lifeways, and the overall well-being of Indigenous Peoples. 

This dissertation responds to these challenges through research action that centers Indigenous perspectives and Knowledge Systems within salmon fisheries monitoring and management contexts across the Pacific Northwest region. Specifically, the overarching aim of this PhD dissertation is to center Pacific salmon, Indigenous Peoples, and their Knowledges within fisheries monitoring and management contexts, and to offer recommendations for assessing and transforming colonial policies that continue to shape Pacific salmon fisheries in Canada -so they are more inclusive of and guided by multiple knowledge systems. Three guiding research questions founded the work. The first research question asked, how can an assessment tool be co-developed with First Nations to reflect Indigenous perspectives on the implementation of Canada’s 1999 Salmon Allocation Policy (SAP), particularly regarding conservation objectives and Canada’s stated commitment to priority access for Indigenous Nations to salmon fisheries in British Columbia? To address this question, we partnered with 50 First Nations and seven First Nations organizations across British Columbia to co-develop a Salmon Allocation Policy Assessment Tool. Through this research, findings revealed systemic failures of the Canadian Government and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to uphold both conservation and First Nations’ priority access objectives of the policy since its inception in 1999. The second research question this dissertation asked was, what are some of the motivations, challenges, and outcomes of active Indigenous-led salmon monitoring programs throughout the Pacific Northwest and how does Indigenous-led monitoring support collaborative fisheries management arrangements? In collaboration with 32 Nations and Native Tribes from Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, and in partnership with the Tamamta Program, we conducted in-depth interviews that revealed Indigenous-led salmon monitoring as both an exercise of sovereignty and a fundamental means of generating independent data. Our results further revealed that Indigenous-led salmon monitoring remained constrained by chronic underfunding and limited institutional recognition by colonial governments. Thirdly, this dissertation asked, How can an Indigenous-led salmon monitoring program strengthen knowledge of local salmon populations while supporting management priorities and community requirements for Food, Social, and Ceremonial fisheries? Working in close partnership with the Heiltsuk Nation in the Central Coast of British Columbia, we answered this question by analyzing ~2,000 dockside surveys and ~450 Genetic Stock Identification data (2019–2024) to evaluate local coho salmon fisheries. This research revealed significant conservation risks facing local coho salmon populations, while also identifying opportunities for precautionary, Heiltsuk-driven fisheries management recommendations for reform. 

Together these findings emphasize that Indigenous-led salmon monitoring and Indigenous Knowledge Systems are essential to conserving Pacific salmon while sustaining access for Indigenous communities. Furthermore, this dissertation also contributes both practical and theoretical insights into how knowledge co-production can re-shape fisheries monitoring and management for Pacific salmon, offering innovative recommendations for both localized and broader fisheries policy reform throughout the Pacific Northwest. Limitations to this research include the challenges of applying co-production across scales, constraints on time and resources, and the partial scope of perspectives represented throughout this research. Nonetheless, this research demonstrates that centering Indigenous sovereignty and stewardship through monitoring can advance more just, effective, and collaborative fisheries management. Future research should expand the co-creation and development of fisheries policy assessment tools, strengthen support for and uplift Indigenous-led monitoring, and advocate for equitable decision-making power and resourcing for Indigenous governments. These steps are urgently needed to secure the future of Pacific salmon and support transformation in fisheries monitoring and management.