Welcome Our Salmon Laws Community Liaison Team!
We're excited to announce that our Salmon Laws Community Liaison team is now complete!
Some of our liaisons have already been working with us for the past few months, and yesterday, Samantha John officially accepted the Ehattesaht Salmon Laws Community Liaison position. This means we now have a full liaison team representing all five Nations!
We warmly welcome everyone to the team. We are so excited to have them join us and grateful for the knowledge, experience, and connections each brings to this important project.
Please welcome:
Tsimka Martin: Tla-o-qui-aht Community Liaison
Stephanie Charleson: Hesquiaht Community Liaison
Kayla Savey and Norma Johnson: Mowachaht/Muchalaht Community Liaisons
Robert Stanley: Ahousaht Community Liaison
Samantha John: Ehattesaht-Chinehkint Community Liaison
What do the community liaisons do?
The community liaisons play a main role in the Salmon Laws Project with each Nation and community. They ensure the project is grounded in each Nation's priorities, knowledge, teachings, and perspectives, and they help build a bridge between the project team and community members by supporting community engagement.
As part of their role, the liaisons will support activities such as:
Connecting with Elders, knowledge holders, fishers, and community members;
Conducting interviews and community engagement activities;
Helping share information about the project within their communities;
Bringing community perspectives, questions, and priorities back to the project team;
Supporting the documentation of salmon-related laws, teaching, practices, and knowledge in a respectful way; and
Helping ensure that the project reflects the unique perspectives and priorities of each Nation.
The liaisons met on August 19th, 2026, for a full-team workshop, which was a wonderful way to bring everyone together, build relationships, and begin preparing for the work ahead.
Liaisons will begin preparing over the coming weeks for community interviews and engagement starting this fall. They will head into their communities to connect with Elders, knowledge holders, fishers, and community members, and help gather the stories, teachings, knowledge, and perspectives that will be at the heart of this work.
We are so grateful to have such a strong team in place and are looking forward to seeing the relationships and work develop over the coming months.
Welcome to the Ha’oom Fisheries Society team, Tsimka, Stephanie, Kayla, Norma, Robert, and Samantha! 🎉
We are so happy to have you with us and can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!
For more details about the Salmon Laws and the Consultation Protocols, please read our blog here: Ha'oom Blog - Restoring Five Nations Law: Nuu-chah-nulth Salmon Laws & Consultation Protocols
If you have questions or concerns, or would like to learn more, please contact Cedar Dawson at cedar@haoom.ca.
Klecko klecko,
Ha’oom Fisheries Society