Ken Paul is a member of the Wolastoqey First Nation at Neqotkuk, located in the community of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick.

For 9 years, Ken has held the positions as National Fisheries Director with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Integrated Resources Director with the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs. Ken has advocated for First Nations regionally, nationally and internationally on all aspects relating to fisheries, aquaculture, ocean protection and aquatic resources as they relate to inherent aboriginal and treaty-protected rights, legislation, and policy. This includes Indigenous Knowledge Systems, economic prosperity, community engagement, shipping, renewable energy and resource management. Ken continues this work as a member of the AFN National Fisheries Committee.

Previous to this, he had worked for 10 years in with the Canadian Hydrographic Service as and Hydrographic Engineer and Hydrographer-in-Charge of field-based ocean mapping and 10 years with Parks Canada as a Senior Policy Advisor in Atlantic Canada and the Field Unit Superintendent in the Northwest Territories.

Ken was a recent corporate board member of the Ocean Supercluster, the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS), and a past board member of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) on tidal energy. He is currently involved with initiates on offshore wind, ocean research, kelp aquaculture, Indigenous marine protected areas, fisheries mentorship for Inuit in Nunavut, and private partnerships.

He has also been active on the international front in Indigenous advocacy with the Post 2020 framework of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the Ocean Working Group for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Expert Working Group with Ocean Decade Unit of the UN IOC, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Unit at the UN FAO.

Ken has been an invited speaker and moderator at numerous conferences and gatherings, as well as a guest lecturer at several universities.

Ken has an MBA with St Mary’s University and a BSc from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has extensive training in leadership, policy development, mediation, labour relations, First Nations governance and traditional teachings.

Among his other initiatives, Ken is the principal/owner of Pokiok Associates and serves as the Lead Fisheries Negotiator and Research Coordinator for the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick.