A trio of Nechako First Nations are calling on the province and Ottawa to work with them to develop a new water management plan for the Nechako River and Reservoir.
In a January suit against Rio Tinto Alcan, the BC Supreme Court ruled that the Nations have protected constitutional rights to fish in the watershed.
It also found current regulations to be the root cause of chronic White Sturgeon recruitment failures, and of warmer water temperatures harming Sockeye populations during migration.
As a result, the Courts ruled that the regulations infringed on the Nations’ rights, and compelled Canada and BC to take steps to protect those rights.
But, since then, little visible action has been taken by any of the parties to address the Court’s findings or decision.
Last month, 12 adult white sturgeon were found dead along the river, out of a total estimated population of just 300 to 600 remaining.
Now, the Stellat’en, Saik’uz and Nadleh Whuten Nations are calling on BC, Canada, and Rio Tinto to develop a new, healthy, water management regime.
They are also calling for Rio Tinto to fulfill promises to build a water release facility at the Kenney Dam to address the warming issues, and end the flooding of First Nations’ gravesites.
Rio Tinto says they are committed to sturgeon recovery, and are providing technical capacity to partners, such as the White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, to identify causes of the recent deaths.
They also say they believe in an inclusive water management process, and have been actively working with First Nations to improve flows, while monitoring flood risks.
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