Today@Dal

The Marine Affairs Program will celebrate National Aboriginal Day with the official launch of the Fish-WIKS research project website. Fish-WIKS research looks at understanding western and indigenous knowledge systems and explores how the different processes by which knowledge is acquired, transmitted and used can be harnessed to enhance Canadian fisheries policy. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the research aims to identify the commonalities and differences in indigenous knowledge systems across the Pacific, Arctic, Inland and Atlantic regions and in four distinct indigenous communities in Canada (Tla-o-qui-aht, British Columbia; Repulse Bay, Nunavut; Nipissing, Ontario; and Eskasoni, Nova Scotia). The project also seeks to understand how indigenous and western knowledge systems can be used to improve the sustainability of Canadian fisheries.

Led by Principal Investigator, Lucia Fanning, Dalhousie is partnering with Assembly of First Nations, BC First Nations Fisheries Council, Government of Nunavut and Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources and researchers from University of Guelph, University of Toronto and Vancouver Island University.

The website can be found at http://www.fishwiks.ca