Species at risk are very important to Mi’kmaw Communities around the Bay of Fundy. That’s one thing we’ve learned during our Species at Risk Workshops. From October to February, we’ve hit the road and visited each MCG community to discuss species at risk. This 2-3 hour workshop has taken place in Pictou Landing, Millbrook, Indian Brook, Fort Folly (NB), Glooscap, and Annapolis Valley. Each session began with a shared meal and MCG’s new video, Eels in Winter. Kerry Prosper, of Paq’tnkek, presented his concerns about the decline of eels and the impact of this decline on traditional activities like eel spearing. Tim Robinson and Laura Buck, of Fort Folly Habitat Recovery Program, explained their work to help conserve and recover the endangered inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon. In my presentation, I explained the process of how a species becomes a species at risk, from COSEWIC to the Species at Risk Act. The funds for these workshops were provided by Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk.

There was also plenty of time for questions and discussion. We learned that community members have many interests when it comes to species at risk. Participants told us they would like to learn more about all the aquatic species at risk found in this area. And, they want to know how their Mi’kmaw Communities can make a difference in the recovery of species at risk. There was also a strong interest in learning more about traditional practices and a desire for Mi’kmaw input into the recovery of species at risk. Thanks to all the participants for a great discussion!  To learn more about some of the topics community members raised at the workshop, check out my article Species at Risk in the Bay of Fundy and Maritimes and Clayton’s article on bluefin tuna.

If you have any questions about this or other MCG research and education projects, feel free to email me at skavanagh@mikmawconservation.ca. Thanks!

Sana Kavanagh, Research & Education Officer
Mi’kmaw Conservation Group
The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq