The Pakitawawin Marketing Guide for Freshwater Fishers was developed to assist fishers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In many First Nations, fishing is an important part of trade, labour, and the economy, and helps to shape identity and promote mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Sustainable, strong fishery economies and water and environmental protection fosters strong individuals and Nations, and First Nations in Canada have inherent and Treaty rights protected in the Canadian
Constitution. These include the right to traditional and customary governance of traditional lands, waters and resources, including fisheries.
The guide is meant to share helpful information about the selling and marketing of fish and about fishing regulations and more. Everyone knows fish ends up on a plate or is used as an ingredient. Few people know how freshwater fish get from the boat to the table. In some cases, there are misconceptions about the way fish is caught, processed, and packaged.
We hope you find this guide helpful!
The overall purpose of the guide is to assist fishers, communities, and industry in preparing and moving forward on the development and implementation of their own marketing plans.
The guide can be read online here, or is available in print at Southern Chiefs’ Organization in Winnipeg at 1572 Dublin Avenue weekdays between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (closed between 12 noon and 1:00 pm) or can be mailed to you (at no cost) by contacting reception@scoinc.mb.ca.
A MESSAGE FROM GRAND CHIEF
Jerry Daniels
Water is sacred, and the fish found in the waters that flow throughout our Territories have sustained us since the beginning and throughout the generations.
I would like to thank our fishers, in particular those who so generously shared their knowledge with us in the development of this guide. Thank you also to Dr. Stewart Hill, we are grateful to him for sharing his expertise in natural resources and environmental management and supporting this guide by reviewing its content.
I would like to acknowledge Michael Renwick for his dedication to this project. Michael is a specialist with many decades of experience in the fisheries, fish, and agri-food product sectors in Canada, the United States, East Asia, European Union countries and beyond. His knowledge and expertise brought this guide to life.
Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) recognizes the partnership and support of William (Bill) Galbraith and Megan Pearson of the Economic and Business Development Branch of Indigenous Services Canada.
Thank you to the Chiefs and citizens of the 33 Nations that SCO represents. You are our North Star, setting the direction for everything we do. Thank you to all of our relatives throughout the Territories now known as Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Thank you also to our Ancestors, who have been on this land since the first sunrise and who have spent millennia on the waters. We recognize the sacredness of the water, the fish, and all of Creation, and we honour the water that sustains life on our shared planet.
Chi-miigwech, Pidamiye, and Thank You.
