Since the beginning of time, Tla’amin people have fished, hunted, and gathered on the lands and waters the Creator provided for our ancestors and for all the generations to come.
Harvesting is not only how we feed our families. It carries our taʔow, our relationship to the lands and waters, and our responsibility to look after them. Among those teachings is the principle of taking only enough to meet present needs and always leaving something behind for others and for the generations still to come.
The Tla’amin Treaty recognizes our right to harvest fish, aquatic plants, wildlife, and migratory birds throughout our territory. The Fish and Wildlife Harvesting and Protection Law sets out how those rights are exercised and how we protect the fish, wildlife, and habitat we depend on. This page explains how harvesting works under Tla’amin law and what Citizens need to know before heading out.
Our Right to Harvest
Tla’amin Nation and Tla’amin Citizens have the right to harvest fish and aquatic plants within the Tla’amin Fishing Area, and to harvest wildlife and migratory birds within the Wildlife and Migratory Birds Harvest Area, for domestic purposes. Domestic purposes means food, social, and ceremonial use. Wildlife may be harvested throughout the year, in keeping with the Final Agreement, Tla’amin law, and any conservation measures in place.
These rights belong to the Nation and its Citizens, and they come with responsibilities. Harvesting must follow the Final Agreement, this law and its regulations, the applicable harvest plans, and any conditions set out in your licence or by the Director of Fish and Wildlife.
Licences and Harvest Cards
To exercise a harvesting right, you need a valid Tla’amin Harvesting Licence issued in your name. There are three main types:
- A Tla’amin Fishing Licence to fish and gather aquatic plants in the Tla’amin Fishing Area.
- A Tla’amin Wildlife Hunting Licence to hunt wildlife.
- A Tla’amin Migratory Birds Hunting Licence to hunt migratory birds.
Every Tla’amin Citizen is entitled to a Harvest Card and to be designated to exercise the fishing right. Licences are issued in your name, are non-transferable, and must be carried while you harvest. An enforcement officer may ask you to produce your licence, and you are required to show it. Fish harvested under the fishing right cannot be sold.
Younger harvesters can take part. A youth under the prescribed age may hunt wildlife or migratory birds when they hold a licence in their own name and are accompanied by an adult who holds the proper licence or documentation. Citizens who fish from a commercial or high-capacity vessel also need a Designated Vessel Licence for that vessel.
Applications are made to the Director of Fish and Wildlife. Nothing in Tla’amin law prevents Citizens from also applying for provincial or federal licences to fish or hunt elsewhere in British Columbia or Canada.
Reporting Your Harvest
Citizens who harvest must report their activities and their catch, as set out in Tla’amin laws, regulations, and harvest documents. Reporting is how the Nation tracks what is being taken, supports conservation, and meets its obligations under the Treaty. Harvest reporting and licences can be managed through the Tla’amin Harvest App.
Where You Can Harvest
Fishing and gathering take place within the Tla’amin Fishing Area, and hunting within the Wildlife and Migratory Birds Harvest Area, both defined in the Final Agreement.
Harvesting Under Protocol
Parts of the harvest area are shared with neighbouring nations. Tla’amin holds shared harvest area protocols with Klahoose and Homalco covering the areas mapped in the Final Agreement. To hunt in those shared areas, a Citizen needs a protocol letter approved by the Director and issued by our Sister Nation.
To harvest outside the Tla’amin area, in another First Nation’s territory, a Citizen needs a valid protocol letter from that Nation, approved by the Director. These opportunities are not guaranteed, and a Citizen harvesting elsewhere may be subject to that territory’s rules and to federal or provincial enforcement. In the same way, members of Klahoose, Homalco, and other First Nations can apply to the Director for a protocol letter to harvest within the Tla’amin area.
Harvesting Opportunities and Allocations
For some species, harvesting opportunities are shared among Citizens through allocations and draws. The elk allocation is distributed this way, through a tag draw with its own criteria and rules. Executive Council sets how opportunities are distributed, taking into account the collective interests of the Nation, what is available to harvest, and the needs of Citizens both on and off Tla’amin lands. The Director manages the methods, timing, and locations of harvesting so that Citizens have fair and reasonable opportunities across the fishing and harvest areas.
Selling, Trading, and Bartering
What you harvest for domestic purposes is for food, social, and ceremonial use, and fish harvested under the fishing right cannot be sold. Citizens may trade or barter fish and aquatic plants among themselves, with the Nation, and with other Aboriginal peoples. Wildlife and migratory birds may be sold or traded only where federal and provincial law allow it, and only after the Director has issued documentation to do so. Inedible migratory bird byproducts such as down may be sold in keeping with Tla’amin law. Transport of harvested fish and wildlife must follow the applicable harvest plans and federal and provincial law.
Stewardship and Conservation
The law treats fish, aquatic plants, wildlife, migratory birds, and their habitat as one interconnected whole, because in the Tla’amin area people, animals, and plants are all related. It recognizes these resources as valuable in their own right, beyond what is taken from them, and commits the Nation to restoring their diversity and abundance and keeping any species from disappearing from our area. When the Nation or the Minister puts conservation measures in place, every harvester is required to follow them. The Director can open or close areas and seasons, set limits, and restrict gear or methods when conservation calls for it.
Enforcement and Accountability
The Director of Fish and Wildlife administers and enforces this law, supported by enforcement officers who monitor harvesting, check documentation, and gather data in the field. Enforcement follows a staged approach, beginning with written warnings, fines, or short suspensions for first or minor contraventions, with stronger measures for serious or repeated ones. A Citizen whose licence is suspended or revoked may appeal to Executive Council.
The Law
This page is a summary for harvesters and is not a substitute for the law itself. For the full text, including definitions, licensing rules, and offences, read the Fish and Wildlife Harvesting and Protection Law (TNL 18/2016). Questions about licences, harvest cards, reporting, or protocols can be directed to the Director of Fish and Wildlife.