Indigenous people, sea otters, and shellfish co-existed for at least 10,000 years along Canada’s west coast, with Indigenous stewardship guided by ancestral laws of respect, responsibility, and balance. Colonial activities in the 18th and 19th centuries disrupted these practices and eliminated sea otters. By the mid-20th century, sea otter populations began to recover, but Indigenous knowledge was not included in recovery planning. In 2013, Simon Fraser University and Indigenous leaders formed Coastal Voices to restore resilient relationships between people, sea otters, and shellfish by integrating Indigenous and scientific knowledge. The project aims to uphold Indigenous governance and inform resilient fisheries and food security through interviews, spatial tools, cultural exchanges, and collaboration with Hereditary Chiefs’ Councils.
The Lenfest Ocean Program was established in 2004 by the Lenfest Foundation and is managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
