The Nisga’a Lisims Government’s Fisheries and Wildlife Department has conducted extensive fisheries research on the Nass River since 1992 in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and BC Ministry of Environment.

The Nisga’a Fisheries Program celebrated 20 years of operation in 2011 and currently operates 20 high calibre stock assessment, catch monitoring, habitat, and management projects each year. The majority of funding to the Nisga’a Fisheries Program is from the Lisims Fisheries Conservation Trust Fund, established in 2000 as part of the Nisga’a Final Agreement, and the program is guided by the Nisga’a-Canada-BC Joint Fisheries Management Committee and Nisga’a Lisims Government Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.

The current objectives and priority activities of the Nisga’a Fisheries Program are:

1. Monitor Nass salmon and Steelhead escapement;

2. Monitor salmon and non-salmon harvests in Nisga’a fisheries, in accordance with the Nisga’a Final Agreement;

3. Determine factors limiting the production of Nass salmon and non-salmon species; and

4. Promote and support Nisga’a participation in the stewardship of Nass Area fisheries.

The Nisga’a Fisheries Program provides weekly in-season updates on program activities including inseason Nass salmon and Steelhead run size forecasts and up-to-date harvest information.

Further information is available on the Nisga’a Lisims Government’s website:

http://www.nisgaalisims.ca/protecting-nass-river.