ATLANTIC POLICY CONGRESS
OF FIRST NATION CHIEFS
SECRETARIAT INC

www.apcfnc.ca

Eight First Nations Mentors certified during Landmark Training Program

October 26, 2001

AMHERST -- The first certified mentors from First Nations communities in Atlantic Canada have graduated from a highly successful Mentor Certification Pilot Program, completed recently in Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia. Eight candidates from the five communities of Pictou Landing, Afton, Chapel Island, and Membertou, Nova Scotia, and Abegweit, PEI, successfully completed the three-week program.

"This is a landmark achievement and a big step forward in First Nations fisheries training," said John Paul, Executive Director of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs (APC), who announced the program’s success jointly with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). "This is a good example of the type of initiative needed to develop and build capacity within our own communities."

Using criteria developed by FN participants, candidates for the new program were chosen from among experienced fishers in each community. Emphasizing the importance of traditional values and cultural context for the successful delivery of FN training, the three-week program consisted of:

• one week of intensive classroom training delivered in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, by instructors from the Coady International Institute and the Nova Scotia Community College School of Fisheries, with elders participating as advisors on the cultural and traditional aspects of the instruction, and

• two weeks of hands-on training consisting of at-sea mentoring for potential crewmembers.

To facilitate the practical training segment, the new mentors put their teaching skills to the test, working with 24 FN trainees from the five communities. They mentored the new fishers in safety precautions, rope-work and splicing, conservation harvesting practices, lobster trap baiting, setting and hauling, proper handling and storage of the catch, and conservation techniques. Eight FN captains supplied the fishing vessels and gear used during the training.

During the at-sea sessions, participants also worked cooperatively with Department of Fisheries and Oceans regional staff in an effective research experiment involving the tagging and release of more than 350 lobsters.

"The past three weeks showed us, as mentors, that there is a lot of experience and knowledge in our communities," said George Smith of the Membertou First Nation, speaking on behalf of the newly-certified mentors. "We are able to train our own people and to have the success and confidence to do so without hesitation."

This landmark achievement was reported at last week’s meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for First Nations Fisheries Training, co-chaired by the APC’s John Paul and David Balfour, Director General of Program Planning and Coordination, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, who praised the work of everyone involved.

"This experience provides a template for what lies ahead," said Mr. Balfour. " It leaves those involved well-positioned to broaden their knowledge base and encompass skills needed for other species, fishing grounds, and vessels. They are on their way to becoming successful fishers."

Established soon after the Marshall decision in 1999, the Technical Working Group is an organization of researchers, educators, governments and First Nation fishers. The goal of the group is to involve First Nations in the design and delivery of responsible fishing courses that meet their unique needs.

The TWG plans to continue its work with a second mentor training program this fall, and on-site winterization training will be available to interested Bands before winter freeze-up. The second Atlantic First Nations Fisheries Training Conference is to be held in Moncton in February 2002.

For additional information on the Marshall decision:See the DFO home page -
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca – under "The Marshall Response Initiative."