Can Traditional Methods of Selecting Burbot Livers for Food Accurately Assess Fish Condition?

Aboriginal people living in Canada’s Northwest Territories have long valued the livers of Burbot (Lota lota) as a nutritious, high-energy traditional food source. Community concern has been raised over the poor condition of livers and contaminants. In this study, livers of Burbot were collected by traditional harvesters from four sites in the lower Mackenzie River, who then ranked the livers in terms of their perceived palatability. These ranked livers were then compared to biological metrics and contaminants. Livers ranked highest were from Burbot of significantly higher body condition, HSI, liver lipids, and C:N ratios, of significantly lower age and parasite loads. There was no difference in the levels of metals and pesticides, with the exception of copper which was significantly higher in fish with the best quality livers. This traditional method works when selecting the highest energy (lipid-rich) and safest (low parasites) food – the most important parameters prior to industrial pollution, and could be incorporated into a community-based monitoring framework. However, this traditional assessment method would not be effective in screening food for contaminant burden. This study underscores the importance of incorporating traditional and local knowledge into the development of scientific studies to ensure research relevant to the resource users.