In 2020, four women — an Indigenous and settler scientist, and an Indigenous and settler storyteller — met on Zoom (because where else at this time?) to talk about one thing they all shared in common: a love and desire to protect and tell stories about fish.

After sifting through a reel of ideas, scientists Dr. Andrea Reid and Dr. Lauren Eckert, and storytellers Rena Priest and Amy Romer arrived at Fish Outlaws — a story that would document the criminalization of Indigenous fishers in the Salish Sea Bioregion.

Inspired by stories of their own and others, the team, backed by the National Geographic Society, are using their skills in science and storytelling to build a multidisciplinary project that would elevate a story largely untold, about the historic and contemporary effects of colonization faced by fishers and their families, told through interviews, youth workshops, writing and photography.

By approaching this story from multiple lenses and disciplines, the team hopes to shine light on just futures as imagined and enacted by Indigenous fisherfolk. In particular, young Indigenous fishers whose futures on the water are especially precarious.

The work of documenting unjust fisheries criminalization, and bringing attention to reimagined futures, is life-long work. Fish Outlaws is a living project and we are always open to new opportunities for storytelling and engagement. 

This website is also a living repository for stories of criminalization and resurgence, and is subject to change and growth. If you’re interested in collaborating with us or following developments, sign up for the Fish Outlaws infrequent newsletter to keep up to date with the project and events.