Field technicians check sensors monitoring Atlantic tomcod along the Shubenacadie Canal.
Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) also goes by the name “frostfish” and “winter cod.” In Mi’kmaq, it’s “punamu” and January is known as Punamuiku, meaning tomcod spawning time or frost fish month.
A culturally significant fish to the Mi'kmaw people in Mi'kma'ki (Atlantic Canada), tomcod are most present in the water system in January to spawn.
Historically, these fish provided the nutrition needed for the Mi’kmaw people to survive the harsh winter months as the resources that they gathered would have depleted.
Field technicians work along the Shubenacadie Canal to track tomcod.
The Shubenacadie River is one of the most unique water systems in the world and was the Mi'kmaw people's highway, with settlements on the coast during the summer and inland during the colder months. To this day, the River is culturally significant to the Mi’kmaw people as it provides a variety of species of fish and medicines throughout the year.
The Mi'kmaw Conservation Group (MCG) is conducting watershed work in the Bay of Fundy. For part of the Apoqnmatulti’k project, they have 12 acoustic sensors from Black Rock to Grand Lake in the historic Shubenacadie Canal, these sensors ‘ping’ when a tagged tomcod swims by.
An Atlantic tomcod.
OTN, the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group, Marine Institute of Natural and Academic Science (MINAS) and Acadia University are partnered to acoustically tag and track tomcod in the Minas Basin and Bay of Fundy watersheds. The partnership embraces Mi’kmaw, local, and western knowledge together to more effectively gather data and generate new knowledge that communities can use as a tool in regional decision making.
Field work begins in spring 2019. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates on this work!