Integrating Aboriginal Knowledge and Western Science to Enhance Lake Sturgeon Populations

Teiokién:taron, also known as lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is a significant cultural keystone species for Mohawks of Akwesasne, as well as other Indigenous Nations throughout Canada and the United States. The Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne is located in a unique, jurisdictionally complex area straddling both Canada and the United States on the St. Lawrence River. Lake sturgeon have a threatened status listing in the State of New York, Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and are currently being considered for listing under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) by Fisheries and Oceans Canada within the Great Lakes, Western (Upper) St. Lawrence Designatable Unit (DU8). If listed, it may further affect cultural, medicinal, and subsistence practices with lake sturgeon in Mohawk sovereign waters. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division (SRMTED) was awarded U.S. EPA Great Lake Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds for a lake sturgeon restoration project in 2010. Work plan objectives included reproductive health studies, spawning habitat characterization, and habitat restoration design. This presentation will demonstrate how SRMTED has proactively pursued Resource Agency collaboration and teiokién:taron species recovery by integrating aboriginal knowledge and western science to enhance populations for Mohawks.