It is an enterprise that is building skills, experience and capacity in the fishing and seafood business for five First Nations of southern Vancouver Island (Tsawout FN, Sooke FN, Beecher Bay FN, Malahat FN and Nanoose FN). With a diversified business plan that includes seafood harvesting, salt flake ice production, cold storage services and more, Salish Strait Seafoods Ltd. has made tremendous pr
ogress in the last year and looks to 2013 as another good year of business development. In the last few years the federal government has recognized the need for First Nations to be more involved in commercial fishing. To that end there has been significant effort to help First Nations build the commercial capacity needed to build viable fishing and seafood companies. is a great story of five First Nations working cooperatively together to achieve these goals. The meaningfulness of these five First Nations, with their long history of being the marine stewards of southern Vancouver Island waters, recovering their commercial fishing capacity, is impressive. The list of accomplishments for Salish Strait Seafoods Ltd., for this last year alone, include the purchase and gearing up of three fishing vessels, 13-15 First Nations members now certified to work as commercial fishing crew, and about 12 First Nations members expected to be certified as commercial divers very soon, the construction of a 10 ton/day capacity salt flake ice plant, cold storage facilities, equipment for delivery services for seafood products and ice products, etc. will be bringing the ice plant into full production by March 1, 2013 as well as direct marketing of fresh and live seafood from local waters, starting in January or February.
