Submitted by Shannon
Cowan
Uu-a-thluk
May 4, 2006
For Dennis Hetu, managing his nation's shellfish farms on the west coast of Vancouver Island is about as good as it gets. In addition to the ongoing training, which is a regular part of his job for the Toquaht First Nation, he works outdoors in Barkley Sound. "I've got to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world," says Hetu. "Every day, even on a nasty, ugly, cold, and rainy day, it's still beautiful out there. I feel fortunate to work out in that area."
Using the skills he learned working in salmon enhancement, and later, fish hatcheries, Hetu also went to Malaspina University-College to study shellfish. "I learned a lot there," he says of the experience, "and I hope to go back this year to learn some more."
At work, Hetu carries out a variety of tasks. A typical day sees him getting his boats prepared and making sure his crew is safe and ready to go. Then, depending on the type of job scheduled, he either gears up and heads out to bring product out of the water or gets the beach harvest and brings it out to the site. "It's pretty hard work," says Hetu. "The harvesting part is pretty easy, but it's the lifting product all the time - it's pretty heavy."
Most summers, Hetu supervises students as part of his crew. The job gives them a unique opportunity to learn important skills, including safety. "When I hire the two students, the first week is set aside," says Hetu. "They aren't on the job site until they have a week of first aid training and safe boat operator training. I don't let them operate a boat, but it's good to know the procedures ... to me, preparedness is very important. You avoid many injuries just knowing what not to do."
Monitoring and working with youth is just part of what Hetu does. In addition to managing the shellfish farms, he also works as a water technician and is the fire chief for his nation. But the shellfish operations take up the majority of his time - something he doesn't regret. "Even though I'm trained to do what I do and I'm pretty good at my job, I'm always learning something new. My mind isn't idle. It's not always the same thing over and over. This is always changing, always that element of danger because it's the water, so it's exciting too."
Despite the challenges
of his work - which include a fluctuating Canadian dollar and the environmental
hazards of being situated so close to a river - Hetu remains positive.
"I think there are so many reasons why [shellfish aquaculture] is
important to Nuu-chah-nulth. Nuu-chah-nulth are mostly coastal nations
and shellfish was a huge part of our traditional diet. I know of four
or five sites, actual clam grounds, oyster beds, things like that, that
my people - just my people - used to use. Being involved in growing something
like that is very important to me, and being able to teach our future
generations how to do that, [is important] too, because in the future,
due to all the scares in food, shellfish will be a very popular thing.'
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