The chief of the Potlotek First Nation in Richmond Co. says their inaugural moderate livelihood fishing season went well all things considered.
The season, which opened Oct. 1, closed Monday.
Wilbert Marshall, Potlotek’s chief, tells The Hawk there were isolated incidents of commercial fishers interfering with traps, but nothing compared to what happened on the province’s south shore.
“They know we’re not going to leave; they know we’ve got every right to be there,” he says. “You got to share it- you got to share the resources.”
Marshall says they spent most of the season in talks with DFO officials to make sure everything was done properly and safely.
He says the season was a huge boon.
“I see the big picture here with everybody fishing,” he says. “They start buying their own, which they are, they’re buying stuff for their kids for Christmas.”
Marshall says the money coming in from their first moderate livelihood season has helped them fight poverty in the community.
He says he hopes it helps with their housing shortage as well.
“We’re working on different things right now,” he says. “These guys will start fishing, and some of the guys want to build their own houses.”
Marshall says their waitlist for housing is more than 170 families long.
He says moderate livelihood fishing is a right enshrined in treaties, and he’s proud to exercise it.
