At the 25th annual Ocean Awards today — World Oceans Day, June 8, 2020 — the Coastal Guardian Watchmen were proud recipients of the Ocean Wise Conservation Leadership Award!

Ocean Wise created the Ocean Awards in 1995 to celebrate those at the forefront of ocean sciences and conservation, and to honour individuals and organizations for highly significant contributions in this regard.

The awards committee recognized the “inherent and profoundly important value of the Coastal Guardian Watchmen” in contributing to a more sustainable coastal ocean, and their “invaluable work as stewards of natural and cultural resources in the ocean.”

The Coastal Guardian Watchmen play a critical role in all aspects of stewardship for First Nations along BC’s North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii—ensuring resources are sustainably managed, that rules and regulations are followed, and that land and marine use agreements are implemented effectively.

They uphold and enforce traditional and contemporary Indigenous laws passed down over countless generations, and work together to monitor, protect and restore the cultural and natural resources of their territories, creating a united presence for stewardship along the coast.