Improving the American Eel Fishery Through the Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Policy Level Decision Making in Canada

Presenter: Amber Giles Abstract: 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,... [ view full abstract ]

Presenter: Amber Giles Abstract: 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, particularly of traditional ecological knowledge 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 study examines the Canadian government’s species at risk assessment process for the American eel (Anguilla rostrate), as well as the community level management process for the eel fishery in Eskasoni First Nation, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. The study explores how the Indigenous Knowledge System of fishers in Eskasoni First Nation guides which traditional practices are unitized when abundance decreases, and how this translates into, what in a Western Knowledge System would be referred to as, conservation measures or management. This case study allows for an exploration of the challenges arising from differing worldviews and possible mechanisms for meaningful integration of Indigenous values into governmental policy level decision-making.