Indigenous-led aquatic health lab celebrates 20th anniversary

It is a substantial milestone for the B.C. Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (B.C. CAHS) located on Ligʷiłdaxʷ territory (Campbell River). 

The internationally recognized not-for-profit lab was established in 2005. On their 20th anniversary, B.C. CAHS is now Indigenous-led and has been providing its expertise and services to First Nations communities, local industries, and government. 

“Our people have been here for 14,000 years in British Columbia, and Western science is continually catching up to our traditional ecological knowledge,” said the chair of B.C. CAHS from Tlowitsis Nation, Dallas Smith, in a statement. 

“We continue to lead by example by braiding traditional knowledge and Western science into our stewardship work.”

B.C. CAHS provides ISO accredited data from samples related to the health of aquatic animals and their surroundings, interactions between wild and farmed fish, the environment, human activities and climate change. It is one of the few ISO accredited labs in B.C. working on fish health testing. 

The lab provides First Nations groups with the data to aid their decision-making regarding their territories in B.C. CAHS became Indigenous led with a change to the board’s governance structure in 2022. 

Looking to the future, B.C. CAHS aims to further integrate traditional Indigenous knowledge with Western science to gain the most comprehensive understanding of oceanic occurrences, encompassing both environmental and animal life. 

The following 20 years include goals for B.C. CAHS, including transitioning to the Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences and Stewardship (ICAHS), which is part of the Wei Wei Kum Nation’s development plan of an inclusive and local stewardship center. 

“The vision for ICAHS, while still in progress, is one of knowledge sharing, stewardship, and collaboration between Indigenous peoples and science experts,” says Wei Wai Kum, Chief Councillor Chris Roberts, vice-chair of B.C. CAHS.

“Partnering with B.C. CAHS, ICAHS will bring together Indigenous knowledge systems and environmental monitoring with real-time science to provide the most robust and current information available about what’s happening in our territories. Ultimately, this will help guide integral decision-making for Nations.”