Hooked for Life: A Story of Herring in the Salish Sea

Salt Spring Author/Artist/Naturalist Briony Penn with special guest Eric Pelkey, hereditary chief of Tsawout First Nation, will present: Hooked for Life: A Story of Herring in the Salish Sea

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Weekend on Salt Spring Island!

Through personal insight, family involvement, first nations and fishing history, Briony and Eric will reveal the amazing life history of Salish Sea herring, their cultural importance, and how we can save and renew herring populations and the multitude of food webs that rely on them. For generations, the family of Eric Pelkey, W̱IĆKINEM, have been leading the fight to HELIT TŦE SȽOṈ,ET (Let the Herring Live).

Herring were the key marine diet for this region and they have been wiped out by the commercial fishery. DFO has an obligation to help fund the restoration of these stocks. There are severe diseases such as biliary chongolitis that disproportionately affect coastal indigenous women due to lack of oils from these very special little omega-three-laden forage fish in their diet. The presentation will also feature the short film – The Silver Highway.

The presentation is FREE and open to everyone. Donations to the Stqeeye’ Learning Society as part of the Indigenous Peoples Weekend are encouraged.