Raw footage for a documentary commissioned for the opening of the Shedd Aquarium's Oceanarium. Producer, director, and editor Judy Hoffman documents an aboriginal fisherman, Roy Cranmer, fighting to preserve the 'Namgis band's historic fishing grounds and land of origin while protecting the vibrant ecosystems and salmon populations that have sustained the Pacific Northwest Coast region for centuries. Also known by the anglicized name Nimpkish, the 'Namgis are part of the Kwakwaka'wakw (initially named the Kwakiut'l by Franz Boas) First Nation and have their homeland in what is now British Columbia, on the northern end of Vancouver Island. Hoffman has maintained a long relationship with the ‘Namgis band, having been adopted into the Cranmer family at the Cranmer potlatch in November 2017.
00:00Copy video clip URL Along the shore of the Johnstone Straight on the northern edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, various houses and commercial buildings sit on stilts on water. The camera operators give staging directions to Roy Cranmer, the captain of the Kitgora fishing boat. The boat then returns to dock.
05:10Copy video clip URL Entrance sign to Alert Bay.
05:32Copy video clip URL Color bars. Video cuts.
05:38Copy video clip URL Video opens to the bay as a commercial lumber boat passes by.
08:32Copy video clip URL At the boat docks.
09:29Copy video clip URL Color bars.
09:45Copy video clip URL Open to Cranmer sitting near the Nimpkish River. The documentary makers finish set up for the interview. Judy Hoffman begins the interview with Cranmer, asking about his relationship with the land and recent changes to the fishing business and the surrounding area. He talks about reductions made to the fishing season and this impact on the livelihoods of the ‘Namgis indigenous people who rely on fishing for income. Cranmer attributes these changes to policies implemented by fisheries and the politics involved in the fishing business.
13:22Copy video clip URL Hoffman asks what Cranmer believes people should know about the fishing business in his area. Cranmer describes the adverse effects of logging on sockeye salmon spawning areas. He talks about his involvement with other fisherman to demand a Salmonid Enhancement Program in the local fisheries. Recently, Cranmer along with others in the ‘Namgis tribe have coordinated with another environmental initiative to restore multiple species of fish effected by increased logging and habitat destruction.
21:33Copy video clip URL Hoffman asks Cranmer about his motivation to restore local fishing habitats. Cranmer then explains his concerns for the unregulated increase in fish farms and fish farm permits when few studies have analyzed their effect on local ecosystems. He recalls how one clam bed appeared completely wiped out by a local fish farm, due to excess waste.
25:28Copy video clip URL Cranmer warns against eating farmed fish. He explains how salmon are farmed and distributed by fish farms.
27:18Copy video clip URL Cranmer describes the lifecycle of wild sockeye, pink, and humpback salmon.
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