Food
security
is
an
urgent
and
growing
concern
for
Indigenous
populations
in
Canada.
Environmental
change
in
aquatic
ecosystems
can
impact
the
health
of
fish
and
the
communities
that
rely
on
those
fish
in
many
ways.
Some
of
those
ways
can
involve
exposure
to
contaminants
like
mercury.
Working
with
the
Fort
Albany
First
Nation,
a
subarctic
community
in
northern
Ontario,
University
of
Waterloo
researchers
will
help
answer
one
of
the
most
critical
questions
from
Indigenous
people
in
northern
Ontario:
How
safe
are
fish
to
eat?
This
project
is
one
of
six
new
co-led
Indigenous
projects
that
are
part
of
the
Global
Water
Futures
program,
transforming
the
way
communities,
governments
and
industries
in
Canada
prepare
for
and
manage
increasing
water-related
threats.
“Mercury is of particular concern in aquatic ecosystems as elevated methylmercury concentrations have been documented in several fish species such as Walleye, Northern Pike, and Lake Trout which are regularly harvested across Canada,” said lead researcher Brian Laird, Professor and Water Institute member in Waterloo’s School of Public Health and Health Systems. “Consumption of fish often represents the largest source of mercury to humans, and prolonged exposure to mercury can cause permanent adverse effects to the neurological, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems; the developing fetus and children are particularly vulnerable.”
In partnership with Fort Albany First Nation, Laird is working alongside Kelly Skinner (School of Public Health and Health Systems), Heidi Swanson (Department of Biology), and Virginia Sutherland (Senior Environmental Coordinator, Mushkegowuk Tribal Council) to study the health concerns and risk perceptions among Indigenous community members as well as the environmental determinants of mercury and nutrients in wild-harvested fish. They will be exploring the balance between contaminant risks and nutrient benefits in traditional foods as well as the links between contaminant levels in the environment, human behaviour patterns, and human exposure, and the impact on food security.
“To understand the long-term sustainability of wild-harvested fish as a healthy food resource in the face of climate change, co-located environmental, human behaviour, and food security data are crucial,” said Laird. “Through this process, we, together with our partners, will develop a model that predicts how effects of climate-induced change in Canadian lakes will affect fish health, human health, and food security for Indigenous peoples.”
About Global Water Futures: Global Water Futures is a seven-year, University of Saskatchewan-led research program established within the Global Institute for Water Security in 2016 and funded in part by a $77.8-million grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The research goal is to transform the way communities, governments and industries in Canada and other cold regions of the world prepare for and manage increasing water-related threats.
Global Water Futures is the world's largest university-led freshwater research program. The program is developed and funded in part by three key partners--the University of Waterloo, McMaster University, and Wilfrid Laurier University—and includes hundreds of faculty, researchers and support staff, hundreds of partners, and 15 Canadian universities.