The origins and politics, campaigns and demands by the international fisher peoples’ movement: an Indigenous perspective

Abstract

This reflective contribution discusses the intersection of Indigenous and Small Scale Fisheries’ (SSF) issues, and how the international SSF movement has a critical role in the broader struggle for the convergence of social justice regarding the environment, food and lifeways. I explore some of the political tensions around Indigenous and SSF struggles against global neoliberalisation of land and water resources, some of the successes and challenges of the international SSF movement, and future considerations for academic/activist ‘decolonising’ work.

Keywords:

• Indigenous
• fisheries
• social movements
• decolonisation and colonisation
• globalisation
• human rights, livelihoods and sustainability
• neoliberalisation

Notes

1. Convergence of social movements including agrarian, fisheries, Indigenous and environmental movements is a strategy against the convergence of global crises related to climate change for food sovereignty and environmental justice; Tramel, "Convergence of Social Movements.”

2. While Indigenous communities are inherently and culturally unique, struggles for food and livelihood in the fisheries are similar to other SSF and therefore they often join the broader SSF movement. For example, the Mi’kmaw community, Bear River First Nation in Nova Scotia and the Elmolo community of Northern Kenya represented by the Elmolo Forum are members of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples; Report of the 6th WFFP General Assembly (WFFP 2014).

3. For a sense of the social, economic and cultural context of Indigenous and Small Scale Fisheries, see FAO, International Small-Scale Fishery Guidelines; Jentoft, “The Community”; Mansfield, “’Modern’ Industrial Fisheries”; Pictou, “Small ‘t’ treaty Relationships.”

4. Sryres, S., and D. Zinga. “The community-first land-centred theoretical framework: Bringing a good mind to Indigenous education research.” Canadian Journal of Education 36, No. 2”(2013), quoted in Tuck and McKenzie, Place in Research, 43.

5. Barbesgaard, Blue Carbon; Benjaminsen and Bryceson, “Conservation, Green/Blue Grabbing”; Ferrie, “A Perfect Storm.”

6. There is much scholarship on Indigenous worldviews on relational or interrelatedness. See Corntassel, “Re-Envisioning Resurgence”; Pictou, Decolonizing Mi’kmaq Memory; Stiegman and Pictou, “How do you say Netuklimk”; Tuck and McKenzie, Place in Research.

7. See WFFP, TNI, AK, Human Rights vs. Property Rights: Implementation and Interpretation of the SSF Guidelines, 2015.

8. Lindroth, “Indigenous Rights, Neoliberal Governance”; MacDonald, “Indigenous Peoples and Neoliberal ‘Privatisation.’”

9. Lindroth, “Indigenous Rights, Neoliberal Governance,” 355.

10. Corntassel, “Re-Envisioning Resurgence,” 91.

11. These international instruments are referenced in FAO, International Small-Scale Fishery Guidelines and the International Tenure Guidelines.

12. Jentoff, “The Community, a missing link”; Mansfield, “’Modern’ Industrial Fisheries”; Stiegman and Pictou, “How do you say Netuklimk”; ICSF, “Report on Tenure & Fishing Rights”; Wiber et al., “Coastal Management Challenges.”

13. See Note 12.

14. Franco et al., The Global Ocean Grab, 7.

15. Dowie, “Conservation Refugees.”

16. Bluewashing is a term to describe the United Nations Global Compact. See Zumach, “‘Blue Wash’ Instead of Human Rights”; Benjaminsen and Bryceson, “Conservation, Green/Blue Grabbing.”

17. Barbesgaard, Blue Carbon, 1; Corporate Crime Reporter, “Saltwater Special Interests, Bluewashing.”

18. Robinson, “What is Critical Globalisation Studies?” 23, 24. For impacts of globalisation on North and South see Alfred and Corntassel, “Being Indigenous”; Mack, “Hoquotist”; Gordon, Imperialist Canada; Lindroth, “Indigenous Rights, Neoliberal Governance”; MacDonald, “Indigenous Peoples and Neoliberal ‘Privatisation’”; Tuck and McKenzie, Place in Research.

19. Initially the IPC was set up to facilitate dialogue between food sovereignty movements and state governments. In 2003, IPC became a formal mechanism to assist civil society organisations representing small-scale food producers in engaging with FAO agencies on policy. For more information see https://www.foodsovereignty.org/.

20. See Note 7.

21. Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.

22. FAO, Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, 15.

23. WFFP, Press Statement; Development Today, World Bank Winds Up.

24. Tramel, “Road Through Paris,” 966.

25. WFFP and WFF, Fisherfolks say no to (CFI). My abbreviation. Also see Barbesgaard,

26. Quoting UNDRIP article 10.

27. Khandaker, “Canada Adopts UN Declaration”; Matthew, “Small-Scale Fisheries.”

28. Diabo, “Justice Minister Selling Old Termination Plan,” ‘and’ APTN quoting Minister of Natural Resources, Jim Carr in ‘Canadian definition’ of UNDRIP.

29. Indigenous scholars argue how Canada domesticates Indigenous issues to justify their statehood on unceded ancestral lands. See Alfred and Corntassel, “Being Indigenous”; Henderson, “The Split Head Resistance”; Diabo, “Justice Minister Selling Old Termination Plan”; Mack, “Hoquotist.” For more information on domestic and global policies supporting neoliberalism, see Gordon, Imperialist Canada; Coulthard, Red Skin White Masks; Lindroth, “Indigenous Rights, Neoliberal Governance”; MacDonald, “Indigenous Peoples and Neoliberal ‘Privatisation.’”

30. FAO, Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, ix.

31. Jentoft, “Walking the Talk.”

32. Timothy Choy, Ecologies of Comparison (Durham: Duke University Press, 2011), 100. Quoted in Pictou, Decolonizing Mi’kmaq Memory. Also see Allan Seluka’s Free way to China ‘and’ A Fish Story.

33. From Denis Delestrac’s film press kit, Freightened.

34. Analysis of Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons” in Jentoff, “The Community, a missing link” and Mansfield, “’Modern’ Industrial Fisheries”; WFFP, AF, TNI, Human Rights vs. Property Rights.

35. Ferrie, “A Perfect Storm.”

36. Chossudovsky and Sputnik, “CETA is a TTIP in Disguise.”

37. Gilchrist, “Trudeau Broke Promise”; Council of Canadians, “Trudeau government approves fracked gas pipeline.”

38. Jentoff, “The Community, a missing link,” 54; Tully, On Global Citizenship, 86.

39. See Note 4.

40. Barbesgaard, Privatization and Corporate Capture.

41. FAO, “Workshop On Exploring.”

42. Mansfield, “’Modern’ Industrial Fisheries,” 92.