Earlier this August we were invited to participate in the annual Miawpukek First Nation Eel Camp!
We got to learn a lot about the importance of American Eel to the Miawpukek First Nation, including traditional fishing methods, winter and summer fishing equipment, hear stories on how methods have changed over time, and eel populations changes in the Baie D’Espoir Estuary. The day finished off with a delicious pan-fried eel cooked up in pork fat! We could not have asked for a better way to spend time in Conne River. Thank you Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi Council of the Conne River Mi’Kmaq for having us at the event and helping us tag eels in the estuary! At the Miawpukek First Nation Eel Camp we launched our American Eel Pamphlet that we have been working on!
Here at Aquatic Conservation Initiative we love eels and we want to ensure they are not left misunderstood as they are such important species in our ecosystem! We have worked on several projects trying to better understand eel ecology on the island of Newfoundland to conserve this important species.
We are currently working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada , SEM Ltd. , and Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi in Conne River through the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program to study American Eel habitat in the Baie D’Espoir Estuary. We are also working on a project with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Nature Newfoundland and Labrador through the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Fund to study wetlands and watersheds water quality concerning American Eel and Atlantic Salmon habitat across three communities on the Eastern side of the island of Newfoundland.
If you would like to know more about American Eel and pick-up an American Eel pamphlet, reach out to us at info@aci-nl.ca or visit us at our next community event!
