Understanding habitat connectivity and population structure central to the conservation of culturally and commercially valued species in Pekwitapa'qek and Pitu'pa'q

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This is a five-year collaborative research project that, through co-design, joint participation and shared knowledge among Mi'kmaw rights holders, local knowledge holders, academia, and the federal government, will enable better stewardship of culturally and commercially valued aquatic species in parts of Mi'kma'ki. The project builds on the established research infrastructure and partnership Apoqnmatulti'k (Mi'kmaw for 'we help each other'), a collaboration between the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq (CMM)/Mi'kmaw Conservation Group (MCG), Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), Acadia University, Dalhousie University and commercial fish harvesters. Using the approach of Two-Eyed Seeing, acoustic telemetry and habitat mapping techniques will be brought together with Mi'kmaw and local knowledges and ways of knowing to address current and emergent questions within two unique, biologically rich and culturally significant marine ecosystems: Pekwitapa'qek (Bay of Fundy) and the Pitu'pa'q (Bras d'Or Lake). New information generated through the project on focal species (kaspelaw [gaspereau], ji'kaw [striped bass], katew [American eel], jakej [American lobster]), and their habitats, will address the information needs of Mi'kmaw rights holders and communities, support Mi'kmaw governance and the right to self-determination, as well as inform policy changes that are critical to sustainably managing the impacts of human activities on these ecosystems.