Managing for Seven Generations: Mi'kmaq Knowledge, Eels and the Bras D'or Lakes

Application of traditional knowledge to eel sustainability is common practice in the eel sustenance fishery of the indigenous Mi’kmaq people in Canada but its use beyond the Mi’kmaq culture is not fully realized. Mi’kmaq ecological knowledge on katew, the American eel, gathered on traditional fishing grounds of the Bras d’Or Lakes, Nova Scotia provide an example of the use of  Mi’kmaq knowledge for eel  sustainability.  Worldview, fishing practices, observations on eels, habitats and population status contribute to traditional management of Bras d’Or Lakes eels.