For centuries, the harvest of the seas has provided food, income and a distinct cultural heritage for individual fishers, their families and communities.

From First Nation peoples and European settlers, to modern day immigrants and North America’s present coastal population, commercial fishing families have contributed greatly to economic growth, technological advancement, social stability and cultural diversity.

The positive socio-economic role that commercial fishing families have played along the shores of North America cannot be denied; yet, at the beginning of the 21st century, this industry and its heritage have become severely threatened to the point where its future existence is now in jeopardy.

The ongoing loss of seafaring folk culture, commercial fishing livelihood, maritime skills and historically significant working watercraft has reached a crisis point on this continent and abroad. Diminishing fish stocks, environmental degradation, unchecked coastal development, inadequate resource protection, global economic recession and the onset of corporate fish farming worldwide are just some of the conditions contributing to this rapid decline.

With the elimination of the industry, fishing family cultural heritage will be lost and forgotten unless immediate steps are taken to preserve and protect what remains intact today along the remote coastal regions of North America.