On February 13th, 2025, scientists, environmentalists, and First Nations leaders attended the second annual HELIT TŦE SȽOṈ,ET (Let the Herring Live) event to help restore the herring population in the Salish Sea.
The HELIT TŦE SȽOṈ,ET event is an annual event presented by W̱SÁNEĆ Hereditary Chiefs in partnership with the Herring Conservation and Restoration Society, University of Victoria’s (UVic) School of Environmental Studies, and Conservancy Hornby Island. Each year, it brings together First Nations, subject-area experts, and environmental organizations to discuss the importance of herring, voice concerns regarding the management of the herring population, and co-create opportunities to restore the herring population and the vitality of the communities who rely on herring as a food source.
The event is in response to growing concern about the dwindling herring population among WSÁNEĆ Hereditary Chiefs and conservation groups. The loss of herring is causing health issues among WSÁNEĆ and creating a disruption in the transfer of traditional knowledge regarding herring. So far, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has failed to acknowledge or address this issue and continues to allow the commercial fishing of herring in the Salish Sea despite calls for a moratorium by WLC.
The 2025 HELIT TŦE SȽOṈ,ET event took place for a full day – from 9:00AM to 4:00PM – at the Gathering Strength Community Facility and included coffee, snacks, and a lunch of salmon chowder. Eydie Pelkey set the tone for the event with opening remarks, touching on the impact of the event for future generations. She spoke in place of her brother, WLC Community Engagement Coordinator Eric Pelkey, who was unable to attend due to illness. Eydie shared:
Eydie Pelkey Speaking at the HELIT TŦE SȽOṈ,ET event
“We need to keep being informed and keep coming together to be part of a solution for the environmental problems and global warming and everything else. As a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, I am speaking from my heart because I want something to be there for them in the future.” – Eydie Pelkey
Eric Pelkey later added his own sentiments, expressing WLC’s ongoing efforts to stop the excess commercial fishing of herring in the Salish Sea. In his words:
“WSÁNEĆ signed a declaration on October 21st, 2024 asking the federal government of Canada to shut down the herring fishery in the Salish Sea because they are wiping out the herring families in our territory and leaving nothing for our people in terms of food and resources. We are still pushing forward on getting that moratorium on the herring fishery. We feel we have been denied our aboriginal rights and our treaty rights to herring. About a year ago, we had a signed letter from WLC asking for the same thing, and we are still asking them to live up to that to protect our treaty and aboriginal rights to herring.”
After opening remarks, the day continued with talks by knowledge holders and experts in the field, each introduced by event host Adam Olsen. The first speaker was keynote speaker SHULQWILUM (Ray Harris) of the Q’ullhanumutsun Aquatic Resources Society. SHULQWILUM spoke to the need for collaborative approaches to address the diminishing herring populations, sharing:
“We have to turn to you good people to ask for help to influence the governments and give direction to the policy and regulations they are making. We are as far away from policymakers as can be. Nobody in this world is farther away than our First Nations people from our policy makers.” – SHULQWILUM
A full line-up of impressive speakers and panelists followed SHULQWILUM’s speech, including UVic Zooarchaeologist Dr. Iain McKechnie, liver disease expert Dr. Eric Yoshida of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Coast Health, Deputy Provincial Health Officer Dr. Shannon Waters, Xwulslim (Connie Crocker), Dr. Daniel Pauly of the UBC Fisheries Centre, Fisheries Science and Policy Analyst Dr. John Driscoll of the David Suzuki Foundation, Tsawout Fisheries Manager Chrissy Chen, and UVic Marine Sciences Professor Dr. Ben Neal.
Once the panels concluded, participants worked together to identify action steps. Then, the Our Culture Matters Drum Group closed the event with three songs. Recordings of many of the speakers and the Our Culture Matters Drum Group are available for review on the Save the Herring website.
WLC is grateful to the many leaders who attended this year’s event and looks forward to collaborating with attendees to take tangible steps to restore the herring population.
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