The Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony.

“It’s something we’ve always been working towards.”

Those are the words of Ernie Tallio, Guardian Watchmen Manager for the Nuxalk Nation on BC’s Central Coast. He’s talking about an agreement between the Nuxalk and Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nations and BC Parks to share compliance and enforcement responsibilities within provincial protected areas in the Nations’ territories. The Shared Compliance and Enforcement Pilot Program officially launched in July 2023 with five Nuxalk and six Kitasoo Xai’xais Guardians receiving park ranger appointments.

“It’s exciting to be part of this initiative… to be part of something that’s a first in Canada,” said Ernie. “It’s taken several years to get to this point and a lot of collaboration with BC Parks. We were often told by government agencies we work with that we didn’t have any authority but now we do.”

Guardians with their bootcamp certificates.

The 11 Guardians with park ranger appointments have the same powers under the Park Act as park rangers employed by BC Parks in more than 40 protected areas, including Tweedsmuir Park, the Fiordland Conservancy, Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy and Dean River Conservancy. They can give warnings or issue tickets for infringements of the Act. Among other training, each has taken BCIT’s BC Parks Law and Its Administration course and participated in a two-week ranger bootcamp at Manning Park.

The agreement between BC Parks and the Nuxalk and Kitasoo Xai’xais is a recognition that these Central Coast Nations have sustainably managed resources in their territories for thousands of years.

Kitasoo Xai’xais Guardian in the field.

“This is an incredibly important step towards reconciliation,” said Dana Holtby, an advisor with the BC Parks’ Indigenous Relations Team and part of the technical working group for the pilot. “It’s a unique moment when the Crown has recognized the authority, capacity, and capability of the Guardian programs. It’s a recognition of the role Guardians have played in stewarding their territories for generations. People in these communities are incredibly proud of the work the Guardians are doing.”

Nuxalk Guardians and BC Parks rangers.

BC Parks has been collaborating with both Nations for two decades, working side by side on park management planning and through joint training and patrols. MaPP has also played an important role in creating space to allow a strong and trusting relationship to grow. The organization hosted a communication workshop for BC Parks operational staff and Guardians in 2018 as well as joint training to foster a more collaborative approach to monitoring the Central Coast. Another communication and collaboration workshop was held in 2019 and MaPP also funded Guardians to take part in BC Parks ranger training in Williams Lake.

Nuxalk and Kitasoo Xai’xais Guardians with their park ranger badges.

MaPP is committed to providing ongoing coordination and support for compliance and enforcement. This contributes to numerous objectives and strategies of the Central Coast Marine Plan including improving marine-based compliance monitoring, and minimizing current and potential ecological impacts of logging-related activities. Over time, MaPP expects the pilot project will build First Nations’ capacity for compliance and enforcement, increase respect for the authority of First Nations’ Guardian programs, improve understanding, communication, and collaboration between provincial agencies and First Nations, and ensure compliance with marine laws on the Central Coast. Collaborative stewardship will result in improved Central Coast Marine Plan outcomes. MaPP also hopes the program will serve as a path for other Nations seeking greater authority to manage and make decisions regarding their territories.

Kitasoo Xai’xais Guardians.

“This work is serving as an inspiration for other Nations,” said Ernie. “I attended an Indigenous Leadership Initiative gathering in Ottawa in spring 2023 and there was definitely interest in what we’re doing.”

“There are a lot of eyes watching this pilot,” added Dana. “We’re excited to continue to build the partnership between BC Parks and the Kitasoo Xai’xais and Nuxalk Nations, and to see where this pilot leads us.”

Desiree Lawson, former MaPP Implementation Coordinator for the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (CCIRA), shows off a robust geoduck harvested near her home in Bella Bella, Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) territory. “The first time I saw one, I was impressed with how heavy and massive it was, and I imagined how many people one geoduck could feed,” she said

A research partnership is helping Central Coast First Nations get the data they need to evaluate opportunities in the vibrant international seafood market for Panopea generosa — or geoduck, as this species of burrowing clam is more commonly known.

A traditional food for coastal Indigenous people, geoduck can live more than 140 years, and a single female geoduck can produce 5 billion eggs over the course of her life. The clams are described as having a sweet, clean ocean taste and a texture that’s squid-like with a bit of crunch. Since the 1970s, B.C.’s geoduck industry has grown into a multi-million-dollar business. Today, about 3 million pounds are harvested annually by divers in waters up to 30 metres deep, and by people digging them up at low tide. More than 90 percent of this harvest is flown fresh to Asia, where it can fetch $30 a pound.

For First Nations that are part of the Marine Plan Partnership (MaPP), the burning question is whether geoduck clams can be profitably cultivated to become a sustainable business.

“It is a very hot commodity right now, and there is a lot of interest in cultivating [geoduck] in both subtidal and intertidal zones,” observes Dr. Myron Roth, an aquaculture and marine fisheries expert at the Ministry of Agriculture & Food. “But we don’t really have the numbers yet to show how lucrative it will be. On paper it looks really good, but nobody grows fish on paper!”

“This industry is very much in its infancy,” adds Sally Cargill, a marine planning specialist at the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, and the provincial co-lead for MaPP implementation. “There’s quite a bit of investment required up front to start a commercial operation, so the feasibility of it needs to be looked at very closely.”

That’s why Central Coast MaPP partners, the Heiltsuk and Kitasoo Xai’xais Nations, have teamed up with North Island College (NIC) on a five-year research project to explore the viability of intertidal geoduck aquaculture in the region. During the summer of 2023, juvenile geoduck were planted at study sites on the Central Coast, selected based on the Nations’ knowledge of geoduck in the area, key habitat parameters, and other factors. “You need that ‘Goldilocks zone’,” explains Logan Zeinert, a research technician from NIC’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology & Innovation and Project Lead. “A good sandy site with a deep enough substrate that the geoduck clams can bury themselves.” Over the next two years, geoduck survival and growth at these sites will be carefully monitored and compared to determine optimal production conditions. The resulting data will be useful both to researchers and the communities evaluating the commercial viability of geoduck aquaculture at these sites.

Out-planting geoduck seeds at low tide at one of four study sites on the Central Coast. The seeds are planted in Vexar mesh tubes to protect them from predation. Photo: Logan Zeinert.

“I hope geoduck aquaculture can deliver financial benefits and employment for our Nations,” says Heiltsuk Nation Aquatics Manager Mike Reid from his home in Bella Bella. “The bigger point is that it could provide more sustainable, low-impact food source, especially as other sources, like salmon, are not doing well.” Reid says the Heiltsuk and other coastal peoples have long harvested geoduck for food, even in subtidal zones, using ingenious methods that predated technologies used by today’s underwater harvesters.

Santana Edgar, Marine Planning Coordinator for the Kitasoo Xai’xais, is also looking forward to research insights. “Can we successfully grow geoduck, and do we have enough suitable intertidal habitat to achieve the economies of scale to create meaningful employment for our people?” she asks. “Kitasoo Xai’xais have been engaged in finfish aquaculture since the 1990s and have always wanted to expand operations into shellfish aquaculture. This can be a low impact way of benefiting from our surrounding ocean.”

In the right conditions, baby geoduck clams like these can grow to a harvestable size of a few pounds each within six to ten years—but they can live more than 140 years. Photos: Logan Zeinert (left) and Geneviève Reynolds (right).

Core funding for the project comes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), with additional funds and in-kind contributions from CCIRA, the Central Coast Commercial Fisheries Association (CCCFA), the Province of B.C, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).