In Canada, Indigenous communities and scientists collaborate on marine research (Mongabay)
COLCHESTER COUNTY, Canada — Standing on the snow-covered banks of the Shubenacadie River in Canada’s eastern province, Nova Scotia, Alanna Sylbiloy tosses a wire trap into the icy water flowing past, in search of a small fish known as a tomcod.
Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) — or punamu in the language of the Mi’kmaq, the Indigenous people of the region — are an unassuming fish. They’re an indifferent swimmer, 15 centimeters (6 inches) long at most, and sometimes white, appropriate for a species also called “frostfish” because they travel upriver to spawn in January. They’re also sometimes the same mottled brown as the blocks of ice Syliboy points to on the banks of the river that ebbs and flows to the rhythm of the world’s highest tides in the nearby Bay of Fundy.
But the species is significant in one way, Syliboy tells Mongabay. “This fish is a historical fish for our people. It kept us alive for thousands of years; they are the staple fish and they come right up to our river.”
After half an hour, Syliboy braces herself against the bank and begins hauling the trap out of the water. If there are fish inside, she’ll perform a quick surgery to implant a tag, which will allow the fish to be tracked with acoustic receivers placed throughout this watershed. This will allow her to better assess the tomcod’s movements and spawning habitats.
It’s part of a project called Apoqnmatulti’k that combines Indigenous and Western knowledge, as well as insights from local fishers, to better understand the movements of lobster, eel and tomcod in two important ecosystems. The project is moving into the final year of its original three-year timeline. In the case of the tomcod, Syliboy says Indigenous community members wanted to know whether they were spawning in the river and if they remained there all year. Traditional knowledge can provide answers to some of these questions, says Syliboy, who is also the community liaison with the Apoqnmatulti’k project.