Fish-WIKS News

A one-day symposium entitled “The Role of Indigenous and Western Science Knowledge Systems in Modern Fisheries Management” was held during the American Fisheries Society 2015 annual conference.  The symposium was organized by Dr. Stephen Crawford of the University of Guelph and a Fish-WIKS partner, and sponsored  by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.  Three Fish-WIKS researchers presented during the symposium.

Shelley Denny and  Lucia Fanning, Dalhousie University,  will present Co-management, Two-Eyed Seeing and Treaties:  Advancing Atlantic Salmon Governance in Nova Scotia, Canada.

“Conservation” is an important concept to both Canadian Aboriginal fisheries and state management of fisheries as it is a valid legislative objective for infringing on existing Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in Canada. For the Mi’kmaq, the indigenous people of eastern Canada and north eastern United States, the use of conservation as a means for justifying infringement of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights is a respected and shared philosophy. However, issues of governance – the power of the state to evaluate stock status, share the resource, and implement conservation and management measures – is a source of debate and tension between the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and federal department of Fisheries and Oceans in matters concerning Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. Within the context of the existing governance regime that determines the underlying principles governing decision-making, this research aims to compare the concept of salmon conservation and management measures from a Mi’kmaq perspective and offer recommendations on how to further governance initiatives for this species.

Amber Giles, Dalhousie University, will present Improving the American Eel Fishery through the Incoporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Policy Level Decision Making in Canada.

Effective management of ecosystems, natural resources, and harvesting practices is essential for ecosystem health and the sustainable use of marine resources. Although the value, importance, and benefits of the incorporation of indigenous knowledge (IK), particularly of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into western science-policy decision-making have been well recognized over the past few decades, suitable mechanisms for collecting and incorporating indigenous knowledge into policy level decision making are not yet well understood. This research uses a case study approach to examine the Canadian government’s assessment process for the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, as well as the community level management process for the fishery in Eskasoni First Nation, Cape
Breton, Nova Scotia. This case study allows for an exploration of how and if indigenous knowledge are integrated
into these processes while identifying challenges and possible mechanisms for its meaningful integration into policy
level decision-making. The various parts of an indigenous knowledge system (IKS) that are integrated at the
community level into the management of the American eel in Eskasoni are compared and contrasted to the IKS that
is integrated into the government’s assessment processes.