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Sport and aboriginal fishmen learn to get along

A two-day course next week in Abbotsford for sport fishing and aboriginal groups is geared to reducing fishing-related conflicts on the lower Fraser River. The focus will be on “peace-making” processes and developing skills for collaborative approaches, which is wholly different than “peace-keeping” efforts, said David Moore, executive director of the Fraser River Salmon Table.

The workshops are set for Jan. 18-19 at Sumas First Nation.

Attendees will delve into some of the access issues and challenges that arise on the lower river, as well as ways to foster relationships and capacity, while developing skills for better fisheries management. The “peace-maker” training program is being put on by a partnership led by the Fraser River Salmon Table and an Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum drawn from a broad range of interests in the West Coast salmon fishery. The focus will be on a group of First Nations and sport fishing groups that have been meeting in the wake of an altercation on the Fraser near Chilliwack two years ago.