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 assessment process for the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, as well as the community level management process for the eel fishery in Eskasoni First Nation, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. 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.
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Notes
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans manages the eel fishery in two groups, the adult eel fishery and the elver fishery, which is directed at eels under 10cm in length (Chaput et al. 2014).
There are different dishes for different sizes of eels, so whatever eelers catch they are able to use. Large eels are baked, and smaller eels are used in soup or stew.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge with thanks the willingness of all participants who agreed to share their knowledge for this study and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions.
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Research involving human participants: This study is based on research involving human participants and has obtained Ethics Approval from Dalhousie University Research Ethics Board as well as Ethics Approval from the Mi’kmaq Ethics Watch.
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All participants in this research have provided the authors with signed letters of Informed Consent.
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This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant #895-2011-1007.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Giles, A., Fanning, L., Denny, S. et al. Improving the American Eel Fishery Through the Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Policy Level Decision Making in Canada. Hum Ecol 44, 167–183 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9814-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9814-0