environment
W
estern science is a knowledge system rooted in colonial ideologies and practices. Academic research typically follows the Western science approach without consideration for other ways of knowing. In Canada, those who have lived and worked on the land for generations are rarely included in the process. There is one project in Nova Scotia, however, that is built on pairing different ways of knowing for research purposes. Apoqnmatulti’k is a collaborative study between the Mi’kmaq – a First Nation belonging to parts of the region known as Atlantic Canada – and Western knowledge holders. The project tracks highly valued aquatic species in key locations across Atlantic Canada with the aim of understanding their movements and habitats. This research is shared with local communities and provides important information to the people that depend on these resources for their livelihoods.
TAGGING AND TRACKING: “FIND MY ... FISH?”
The project spans the Bras d’Or Lake and the Bay of Fundy, two study locations with rich fishing histories in Mi’kmaq and local communities. The research team studies three highly valued species: American eel, Atlantic tomcod and American lobster. These animals
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Apoqnmatulti’k (We help each other) SOFIA GOULART support local economies and are culturally significant to the Mi’kmaq. Atlantic tomcod, for example, have long provided communities with sustenance during the cold winter months – a custom neatly conveyed by the name “frost fish”. Locating and studying these animals can be challenging: how can researchers track and map the mysterious underwater lives of their study species? The answer is acoustic telemetry. Acoustic telemetry is the “Find my iPhone” of aquatic sciences. To track animals using this technique, researchers require tags and receivers. The tags are either attached or implanted into the animals, while receivers are set up in their habitat. Once active, the tags emit a pulse of sound. If the tagged species is within range, this pulse is detected by the nearby receiver. One by one, these signals map out where and when the animals
are moving, recording essential information for their conservation. “If we don’t know where animals are, where they move, and what habitats they survive and thrive in - especially in the face of changing environments - there is simply no way we can effectively manage our actions or enact conservation measures to protect species and their habitats”, says Dr. Sara Iverson, Scientific Director of the Ocean Tracking Network.
"Acoustic telemetry is the 'Find my iPhone' of aquatic sciences"
