A Haida-owned seafood company rooted in traditional values is expanding its operations with support from a provincial program aimed at strengthening Indigenous food security and sovereignty across B.C.
Haida Wild, based in Masset, is using funding from the Indigenous Food Security and Sovereignty Program to install a new vacuum-sealing machine at its processing facility. The equipment will help extend the shelf life of its products, reduce waste and improve distribution of its wild seafood offerings.
“Haida Wild is proud to share the seafood traditions of Xaayda Gwaay | XaaydaGa Gwaay.yaay | Haida Gwaii with the world in a way that honours our people, our values and our environment,” said Leticia Hill, CEO of Haida Wild, in a government news release. “With support from the Indigenous Food Security and Sovereignty grant, we’ve been able to grow our operations in a sustainable way that supports our Haida fishers, creates jobs here at home and strengthens food security for the long term.”
The company’s approach is grounded in Yahguudang, the Haida concept of respect for all living things and the interdependence between land, sea, air and people. Haida Wild emphasizes small-scale, ocean-friendly fishing methods such as hook and line, hand-harvesting and trap fisheries, practices recognized for their sustainability and high-quality yield.
Haida Wild is one of more than 100 Indigenous-led projects supported through the $30-million program, which is administered by the New Relationship Trust (NRT), an Indigenous-led non-profit. The program funds on- and off-reserve initiatives across B.C. to support food production, processing and distribution rooted in Indigenous knowledge and values.
“At New Relationship Trust, we recognize that strengthening sustainable food production in B.C. starts with honouring Indigenous leadership and vision for food systems rooted in both land and water,” said Walter Schneider, CEO of the NRT. “We’re proud to support Indigenous food producers who are driving community well-being, economic growth and food sovereignty.”
The program is part of the Province’s broader commitment to reconciliation and to supporting Indigenous participation in agriculture and food systems under B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
