Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge

The Mackenzie River Delta is an ecologically rich freshwater environment in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is vulnerable to multiple stressors such as climate change, resource development activities (oil and natural gas) and upstream-downstream linkages related to extraction activities in the so...

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Main Author: Heredia Vazquez, Iria
Other Authors: Wesche, Sonia Darienne
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10393/39148
https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396
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spelling ftunivottawa:oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/39148 2023-05-15T15:17:55+02:00 Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge Heredia Vazquez, Iria Wesche, Sonia Darienne 2019-05-06 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10393/39148 https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396 en eng Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa http://hdl.handle.net/10393/39148 http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396 Socio-ecological changes Fishing livelihood Food security Local and Traditional Knowledge Thesis 2019 ftunivottawa https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396 2021-01-04T14:36:26Z The Mackenzie River Delta is an ecologically rich freshwater environment in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is vulnerable to multiple stressors such as climate change, resource development activities (oil and natural gas) and upstream-downstream linkages related to extraction activities in the southern part of the Mackenzie River watershed. Resultant socio-ecological impacts affect fishing livelihoods, which represent a significant component of the country food system and ways of life for Inuvialuit (Inuit of the Western Arctic), whose Settlement Area overlaps with the Delta. This thesis analyzes the implications of socio-ecological changes in the Mackenzie River Delta for Inuvialuit fishing livelihoods and the country food system, drawing from Local and Traditional Knowledge. In collaboration with the Fisheries Joint Management Committee in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the westernmost Inuit region in Canada, I undertook a participatory-qualitative research, while also drawing on relevant literature and complementary data. Using 28 semi-structured interviews about changes in the Mackenzie River Delta and the importance of fishing livelihoods, results indicated that fishing livelihoods are essential contributors to the Inuvialuit food system, as well as cultural practices surrounding fishing as an activity. Moreover, some results imply the importance of previously ignored species for food security, such as burbot and inconnu, which receive limited attention in other studies. Key findings also indicate that multiple environmental changes are occurring in the Delta, including lower water levels, increasing land erosion, decreasing fish populations, and changes in Delta-reliant wildlife populations (e.g. more beavers), warmer water temperatures, poorer fish quality (e.g. softer flesh, parasites), thinner ice, climate variability, and an escalating cost of living. These changes affect primarily fishing access and raise important concerns about the safety of fish consumption for human health. Ultimately, limited access and declining fish quality have a negative impact on food security, given the key role of fish in the country food system and the importance of socio-cultural dimensions such as fishing knowledge and skills, and sharing practices. Thesis Arctic Burbot Climate change Human health inuit Inuvialuit Mackenzie river Northwest Territories uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa) Arctic Canada Mackenzie River Northwest Territories
institution Open Polar
collection uO Research (University of Ottawa - uOttawa)
op_collection_id ftunivottawa
language English
topic Socio-ecological changes
Fishing livelihood
Food security
Local and Traditional Knowledge
spellingShingle Socio-ecological changes
Fishing livelihood
Food security
Local and Traditional Knowledge
Heredia Vazquez, Iria
Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
topic_facet Socio-ecological changes
Fishing livelihood
Food security
Local and Traditional Knowledge
description The Mackenzie River Delta is an ecologically rich freshwater environment in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is vulnerable to multiple stressors such as climate change, resource development activities (oil and natural gas) and upstream-downstream linkages related to extraction activities in the southern part of the Mackenzie River watershed. Resultant socio-ecological impacts affect fishing livelihoods, which represent a significant component of the country food system and ways of life for Inuvialuit (Inuit of the Western Arctic), whose Settlement Area overlaps with the Delta. This thesis analyzes the implications of socio-ecological changes in the Mackenzie River Delta for Inuvialuit fishing livelihoods and the country food system, drawing from Local and Traditional Knowledge. In collaboration with the Fisheries Joint Management Committee in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the westernmost Inuit region in Canada, I undertook a participatory-qualitative research, while also drawing on relevant literature and complementary data. Using 28 semi-structured interviews about changes in the Mackenzie River Delta and the importance of fishing livelihoods, results indicated that fishing livelihoods are essential contributors to the Inuvialuit food system, as well as cultural practices surrounding fishing as an activity. Moreover, some results imply the importance of previously ignored species for food security, such as burbot and inconnu, which receive limited attention in other studies. Key findings also indicate that multiple environmental changes are occurring in the Delta, including lower water levels, increasing land erosion, decreasing fish populations, and changes in Delta-reliant wildlife populations (e.g. more beavers), warmer water temperatures, poorer fish quality (e.g. softer flesh, parasites), thinner ice, climate variability, and an escalating cost of living. These changes affect primarily fishing access and raise important concerns about the safety of fish consumption for human health. Ultimately, limited access and declining fish quality have a negative impact on food security, given the key role of fish in the country food system and the importance of socio-cultural dimensions such as fishing knowledge and skills, and sharing practices.
author2 Wesche, Sonia Darienne
format Thesis
author Heredia Vazquez, Iria
author_facet Heredia Vazquez, Iria
author_sort Heredia Vazquez, Iria
title Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
title_short Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
title_full Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
title_fullStr Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
title_full_unstemmed Implications of Socio-Ecological Changes for Inuvialuit Fishing Livelihoods and the Country Food System: The Role of Local and Traditional Knowledge
title_sort implications of socio-ecological changes for inuvialuit fishing livelihoods and the country food system: the role of local and traditional knowledge
publisher Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
publishDate 2019
url http://hdl.handle.net/10393/39148
https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396
geographic Arctic
Canada
Mackenzie River
Northwest Territories
geographic_facet Arctic
Canada
Mackenzie River
Northwest Territories
genre Arctic
Burbot
Climate change
Human health
inuit
Inuvialuit
Mackenzie river
Northwest Territories
genre_facet Arctic
Burbot
Climate change
Human health
inuit
Inuvialuit
Mackenzie river
Northwest Territories
op_relation http://hdl.handle.net/10393/39148
http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396
op_doi https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-23396
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