Building trust through the Two-Eyed Seeing approach to joint fisheries research

Abstract

The Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) collaboratively govern the commercial fishery within the SON's traditional territory situated in Lake Huron’s main basin and Georgian Bay of the North American Great Lakes. Prior to the application of a Two-Eyed Seeing approach (Etuaptmumk), the two groups often operated in separate silos and relied on external experts to aid communication, which contributed to a sense of mistrust regarding the legitimacy of science that was being used to inform management. A breakthrough occurred when MNRF and SON began using the Two-Eyed Seeing approach to collaborate and jointly conduct research on fish populations in Lake Huron. In this article, we share how we used Two-Eyed Seeing to jointly develop a research proposal that is guided by both SON’s ecological knowledge and Western science. Our research involves addressing the role that lake trout (namegos; Salvelinus namaycush) have played in declines in lake whitefish (dikameg; Coregonus clupeaformis) abundance in Lake Huron, a priority identified by SON members. We share the challenges and lessons learned while reflecting on the ethical knowledge co-production framework we developed. Our goal is to provide a useful example of how Two-Eyed Seeing can be applied to foster relationship-building between government agencies and First Nations in the pivotal early stages of co-developing a research project. The Two-Eyed Seeing approach is foundational to building more equitable partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and for supporting healthy Great Lakes ecosystems and fisheries.