Coast Tsimshian Seafood

• Coast Tsimshian Seafood is wholly owned by the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation

• The Coast Tsimshian Seafood fish plant was originally built in 1974 and underwent an $8 million renovation and upgrade in 2012

• The plant is the first and only major fish processing and freezing plant on the north coast of British Columbia and can ship large quantities internationally. The location, in close proximity to the fishing grounds, ensures the highest-quality catch for customers in Los Angeles, Boston, Japan, China and Russia.

• The plant has a state-of-the-art, continuous moving tunnel freezer capable of freezing over 250,000 pounds of fish per day. In addition, four modern blast freezers give the plant an average production capacity of 400,000 pounds per day, with on-site storage of one million pounds.

• The plant will employ 100 people for up to 11 months of the year, with peak employment reaching 170 during the busy salmon fishing season

• While salmon is the primary species caught and processed, Coast Tsimshian Seafood also offers ground fish such as cod, snapper, halibut, sable and flounder

• The fish are wild and First Nation-caught in a sustainable way with a minimum seven-generation planning cycle

• The salmon fisheries are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Lax Kw’alaams First Nation

• The Lax Kw’alaams First Nation trace their roots back more than 15,000 years, and boast a long history of conducting business as a trading nation

• Lax Kw’alaams is home to nine of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian Nation and currently has 3,200 band members

• The band follows their Traditional Law, which is founded on what we now call ‘sustainability’: take only what you need and leave the rest

• Salmon remains a staple food for the Lax Kw’alaams, comprising about 90 per cent of the protein in a typical diet. Sustainable fishing practices and respect for fish resources remain active and strong in band culture.

• The corporate division of Lax Kw’alaams has founded 10 companies in the past five years, helping to reduce community unemployment from 85 per cent to less than five per cent

• The benefits of economic development are evident throughout the community. These include newly-paved roads and sidewalks; an $10.8 million leisure centre with a 25-meter swimming pool and 35-meter water slide; a new elders’ centre; and, a fitness centre. In addition, more than $4 million has been invested into housing renovations over the last 3 years, an $18 million school is being designed and an $11 million access road has been built.