Kristine Pearson

Vancouver Island Western Approach

Kristine lives, works and breathes the ocean on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. In 2010, she completed her M.Sc. in Indigenous Resource Management with a focus on marine resources, especially the seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest. Now Kristine works as the Referrals Coordinator for Pacheedaht First Nation and helps to advise leadership on proposals for resource use and industrial applications.

Pacheedaht is a part of the Nuu Chah Nulth, the whalers, and close family to Ditidaht to the West and Makah to the South. They are stewards of the land and marine territory, with many members maintaining strong connections to the traditional foods. Every fall, members return home to the rivers at the heart of the territory that still support all five species of salmon and participate in community fishing events; families also go out to Swiftsure Bank, a hereditary fishing ground, to fill their freezers with halibut and cod.

Key Positions

• Referrals Coordinator, Pacheedaht First Nation
• BC Treaty Negotiation team member
• Participant, NEB Hearings for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project
  (November 2015)