Saugeen Ojibway Nation community input and action: Initiating a two-eyed seeing approach for dikameg (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Huron

Abstract

Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk in Mi’kmaw) involves seeing with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing through one eye, that of Western ways through the other, and using both eyes together to benefit all. Originating from Mi’kmaw Elder Dr. Albert Marshall, its benefits have been demonstrated across a broad array of disciplines, including fisheries research and management. We initiate a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to inform research priorities and explore solutions for the co-managed Saugeen Ojibway Nation lake whitefish (dikameg in Anishinaabemowin) fishery, in light of recent declines that remain poorly understood. We held interviews with harvesters and community members from the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation through focus groups in each community, in addition to surveys that were completed at a community celebration in Nawash, to draw from the communities’ knowledge related to causes of dikameg declines, actions that could be taken to address them, and the future of the fishery in Lake Huron. Participants identified 19 themes, of which the most frequently mentioned were: 1) Harvesting, 2) Non-indigenous and invasive species, 3) Stocking of other fish species, 4) Habitat and water quality, 5) Assisting dikameg reproduction, 6) People and the community, 7) Ecological effects, and 8) Aquaculture and hatcheries for dikameg. Herein, we describe the communities’ concerns and demonstrate how these have formed the foundations of collaborative and community-based research initiatives aimed at applying Indigenous and Western scientific-based knowledge systems to better understand dikameg and their recent declines in Lake Huron.