Equity Practice

The field of fisheries science and management is strikingly not diverse.

In the American West, where Native Fish Society works, white males make up the vast majority of fisheries scientists and managers. For example, 53% of the population is white, but 94% of fisheries scientists in academia and 91% of federal fisheries scientists are white. Three out of every four fisheries managers/scientists identifies as a man. Broadly speaking Native Fish Society reflects this lack of racial and gender diversity. Based on the best available information, less than 10% of our membership are folks in the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community. Less than 25% of our membership and volunteers identify as women. Through an organization-wide commitment, actions with accountabilities, and relationship building we are taking a proactive approach to dismantle the systemic barriers to women and people of color in our organization.

To revive healthy watersheds and abundant wild fish we need innovative solutions that elevate science, facts, and indigenous ways of knowing and doing.

One way to advance these needs is by increasing the racial and gender diversity of our organization and field. Studies show that diverse teams focus more on facts, process facts more carefully, and are more innovative. Additionally, an increase in diversity can bring ways of knowing and stewarding fish, rivers, and watersheds that are more deeply rooted in place and sustainability.

Environmental stewardship relies on healthy communities and environmental justice.

Stewardship happens when community members work together to safeguard the land, air, water, and species we all depend on. In the United States, systemic racism and discrimination against communities of color creates barriers to enviornmental stewardship. Racism and discrimination has also concentrated pollution in communities of color. For example, landfills, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities are most often located in communities of color. In the Pacific Northwest, native fish like salmon remind us that everything and everyone is downstream. To revive wild fish to abundance that swim in every corner of our region and throughout the ocean, we must work in unity to ensure no community’s clean air, water, or healthy lands is sacrificed.

Reviving abundant wild fish will take a groundswell of support from communities united across difference.

Big coalitions of diverse communities are the best way to win the attention of decision-makers and make positive change happen. Research on non-violent public campaigns finds that mobilizing 3.5% of a population is required for a successful effort. In the Pacific Northwest, this means mobilizing over 500,000 people. To create this kind of groundswell Native Fish Society needs to be a leader in building a relevant and welcoming organization.

Diversity: all of the ways we’re different, similar, and unique.

Equity: a guarantee of fair treatment, opportunity, access, and advancement, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is needed to assist equality in the provision of effective opportunities to all groups.

Inclusion: the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate.

Culture: a social system of meaning and custom that is developed by a group of people to assure its adaptation and survival. These groups are distinguished by a set of tacit rules that shape values, beliefs, habits, patterns of thinking, behaviors, and styles of communication.

Read our entire NFS Organizational Equity Strategy here.