But much remains to be done. On the first point, Burnt Church First Nation has been granted more access to the fishery than it is currently using. I regret that to date, Burnt Church First Nation is letting these latter opportunities lapse. On the second point, it appears that some, though not all, parties at Burnt Church want to regulate and control the fishery, independently of the Government of Canada. One cannot assert only the part of a Supreme Court decision that one agrees with, and reject the rest.
Various arrangements can provide a high degree of self-management.
As I have suggested before, Burnt Church First Nation could use its own trap tags, provided that we work out a protocol beforehand to ensure appropriate controls are in place. Trap tags are critical to controlling the fishery and conserving the stock. Each trap needs to be linked to a licensed fisherman. Without that link, we can t tell how many traps are in the water, or if poachers are engaged in overfishing. For the government to accept First Nations trap tags, there have to be clear agreements and tight controls.