Centuries-old fisheries management is being dredged up from the Alberni harbour.
As city contractors dredge a path for the new sewage outfall pipes, ancient fish weir posts are coming to the surface, revealing indigenous history of how the Somass River salmon runs were managed for the benefit of communities and the resource, according to Tseshaht’s Les Sam.
“It’s the ultimate management tools for river systems,” he said. “You can let most of the females go through and selectively harvest the males, and know what’s in the system. It’s a really remarkable way of doing resource management.”
Sam said weir posts, stone tools, and a carved yew-wood wedge collected from the dredging, have been sent off to the Royal BC Museum in Victoria for carbon-dating and archaeological examination.
