From Dependency to Autonomy

This case study examines the development of a fisheries-focused business skills training program designed for members of the five nuuaauł Nations that founded Ha’oom Fisheries Society. Despite having constitutionally protected rights to fishing and selling fish commercially, structural barriers—including limited quotas, aging vessels, buyer dependency, and limited financial training—undermined the Nations’ long-term economic sovereignty. In response, Ha’oom Fisheries Society partnered with Balance Co-Lab to design a three-phase, Nation-led business and financial literacy program tailored to small-scale Indigenous fishers. The initiative is currently in its first phase, which focuses on foundational financial skills and relationship-building, to be followed by a second phase centered on applied business development and access to capital and a third phase aimed at long-term enterprise sustainability and governance capacity. Together, these three phrases collectively support rights-based fishers in addressing these structural barriers. This article highlights how business literacy serves as a foundation for economic sovereignty by strengthening the autonomy, bargaining power, and intergenerational resilience of Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Corporate governance · Financial literacy · Fishing · Indigenous · Psychological resilience · Sovereignty · Sustainability · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs