The Never-Ending Struggle for Tribal Fishing Rights

The World Trade Organization’s 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies failed to acknowledge Indigenous rights. This is problematic, particularly in the United States where tribes have constitutionally recognized sovereignty. Three tribes located within California have taken it upon themselves to assert their sovereignty by creating the United States’ first Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area (IMSA). While the tribes’ jurisdictional power over the IMSA is unclear, the tribes are in the initial stages of comanaging the area with the state of California. Collaborations based upon mutual respect are likely to produce positive results for Indigenous Peoples, the surrounding jurisdiction, and the environment.