Ecological patterns of fish distribution in the Slave River Delta region, Northwest Territories, Canada, as relayed by traditional knowledge and Western science

Abstract

Indigenous community members along the Slave River in Canada have voiced their concerns for the health of ecosystems under pressure from resource extraction, hydroelectric development and global climate change. We present a test case of traditional knowledge and scientific results about the spawning and migration patterns of fish in the Slave River and Delta. This dual knowledge system approach elucidates the broader connectivity of local study regions and can improve monitoring programmes by extending beyond the usual context/confines of the present or recent past, increasing the spatial and temporal range of system information.

Keywords:

• Cumulative effect monitoring
• environmental management
• fish habitat
• fish migration
• traditional knowledge
• Western science

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the community members from the Slave River and Delta Partnership and South Slave region who participated in this work. We gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by the Canadian Water Network’s Slave Watershed Environmental Effects Programme and the Government of the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program.