Among ICAHS's plans is to physically evolve into a new state-of-the-art and multi-faceted science and stewardship facility on Liǧʷiłdaxʷ territory, which could look like this.
Image: ICAHS.
With over 20 years of service and internationally recognized certification, the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (BC CAHS) is entering a new chapter as it evolves into the new Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences & Stewardship (ICAHS).
With this transformation, supported by a CAD 50,000 investment from the Province of British Columbia, the Centre seeks to expand its capacity and resources to respond to the growing needs of several BC First Nations, surrounding communities, food security, and economic diversification.
According to the statement announcing the change, this evolution reflects a renewed commitment to science that is informed by Indigenous knowledges, First Nations governance, and the long-standing relationships between people, water, and aquatic ecosystems.
"This transition reflects the kind of collaborative, place-based approach we are advancing through implementation of B.C.'s Coastal Marine Strategy," said Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship in British Columbia.
"By supporting Indigenous leadership and governance, and by bringing together Western science with Indigenous knowledge, ICAHS is strengthening our shared ability to steward our coastal ecosystems, support sustainable economic opportunities, and build resilient coastal communities for generations to come."
Dr. Ahmed Siah (right), Executive Director of ICAHS, shows a slide to Mike Stadnyk, Lead Guardian for the Tlowitsis Nation in CAHS' current lab in Campbell River, B.C.
As the Minister noted, the release also highlighted that ICAHS reflects a broader movement across British Columbia and all of Canada toward collaborative, place-based, and culturally grounded approaches to aquatic ecosystem health.
"By building stronger relationships with First Nations and integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge across its operations, ICAHS aims to produce science that is more relevant, accountable, and better aligned with the needs of coastal territories and communities," the statemente said.
Dr. Ahmed Siah, the Executive Director of ICAHS, expressed a similar view. "We must listen to what the Nations are telling us. That makes us stronger," he said. "We are an ISO-accredited facility for salmonid qPCR-based pathogen testing. We are an independent, inclusive, not-for-profit entity and our data is openly shared with scientists through internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals," he continued.
"Braiding Indigenous knowledges and traditional scientific approaches is an innovation in how we approach aquatic health sciences, and the lessons we learn can be used to educate the broader international community as well," Dr. Siah added.
The Centre emphasized that ICAHS will continue to provide the aquatic science services, research expertise, and technical support that First Nations, governments, industry, and coastal communities have relied on for more than two decades.
Its evolution not only does not modify its commitment to the rigorous international standards of aquatic health science, but it reaffirms, strengthens and improves it by integrating Western science with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) throughout the organization.
The goal of these changes is to ensure that the Centre's work is not only scientifically sound, but also grounded in the values, priorities, and deep place-based knowledge of First Nations on the coast.
Moreover, in the years to come, ICAHS has the vision of physically evolving into a new state-of-the-art and multi-faceted science and stewardship facility on Liǧʷiłdaxʷ territory, which encompasses the Campbell River area, the nerve center of the salmon industry in BC, and the surrounding areas on the east coast of Vancouver Island—including the Discovery Islands, where, back in 2023, the Government of Canada decided to close all salmon farms.
Wei Wai Kum First Nation's Guardian Watchmen checking bull kelp in their territorial waters near Campbell River, B.C.
One of the new features of the evolved Indigenous Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences & Stewardship is that it will strengthen its capacity to support First Nations environmental management initiatives along the coast, including programs such as the Guardian Watchmen programs supported by Na̲nwak̲olas Council through the Ha-ma-yas Stewardship Network.
As highlighted in the release, the Guardians perform essential work in designing sampling, monitoring, data collection, research, habitat protection, educational outreach, environmental response, and management of land, water, and cultural sites.
"Our Guardians are our eyes and ears in our territories," said Dallas Smith, Chair of ICAHS and President of Na̲nwak̲olas Council from Tlowitsis Nation. "By working together with ICAHS, our Guardians will be able to expand their current resources and science capacities to report back to their Nations with data we trust to help guide our conservation, ocean management, and economic goals."
"We are grateful for the support from the Province of British Columbia as we move into this exciting phase," he continued. "By all of us working together, we can truly get a holistic understanding of what is going on in our waters and get to work."
Equally satisfied and proud to be part of this transition with ICAHS is the Wei Wai Kum First Nation. This was expressed by its Chief, Chris Roberts, who sits on the Board of ICAHS as Vice-Chair. "We have two youth currently completing internships in the Centre, and that is a powerful testament to the potential that opens up when science is done in partnership with First Nations, whose knowledge of our territories goes back thousands of years," he said.
"This legacy of stewardship of our lands and waters is strengthened by collaborations like this, and we are excited to see the transformation that takes place when Western science integrates Indigenous knowledges and scientific principles," Chief Roberts added.
Historically, the Centre has been closely linked to the aquaculture sector, government agencies, academic institutions, veterinary entities and local conservation groups, providing essential research and services.
Following this metamorphosis, and looking to the future, ICAHS is committed to becoming a renewed, relevant, and trustworthy local science provider for indigenous peoples.