8.0 Fishing and Water Use

SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE 8.0 Fishing and Water Use Fishing has always been part of the Fort McKay Métis livelihood. Many books, reports and assessments have described the importance of the traditional fishery to people of Fort McKay (FMSD 2015, FMSD 2013, Stanislawski 1998, FMFN 1994, FMTA 1983). In 1983, the FMTA said, “We emphasize the main rivers, and particularly the Athabasca, because in the early years since our contact with non-Indians, these rivers served as transportation or penetration routes through our territory. The rivers and many creeks within our hunting and trapping territory are important to emphasize because our people’s land use roughly corresponds to the watershed boundaries and the drainage areas contained within them. These we view as natural boundaries and serve as points of reference.” (FMTA 1983, p. 72) Key fishing areas in the vicinity of Fort McKay included the Athabasca River corridor, Firebag River drainage and the Namur Lakes area (Stanislawski 1998). The Muskeg River Basin is also ecologically and culturally important to Fort McKay Métis people (FMSD 2015; MMSC WS2 2015). Some of the waterways traditionally used by Fort McKay First Nation and Métis community members have been mapped and described in several key reports (FMFN 1994; Stanislawski 1998; FMSD 2013). These waterways, and the key watersheds they are associated with, are shown on Map 5. As far as the Métis community's concerned, Métis communities stuck to the rivers. For the most part, they used the river systems as a way to get around. That was their life. When they would lay the trap line, they'd go up the river so far then go across to their trap lines. That was the way people used to get around. And the Métis people are more along the rivers. We were river people right!? (FMM005-WS1) HEG FRONTIER MINE PROJECT ICA PAGE 137 OF 419 SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE Map 5 – Traditionally Used Waterways ± Wood Buffalo National Park SASKATCHEWAN ALBERTA Misc. Athabasca River Tributaries Redclay Creek Firebag Big E River Johnson Eymundson ym Creek Lake u Creek nd so Marguerite River Gardiner n Pierre C Lake re Wildland e River k Birch Mountains Wildland C PierreR a i v er lu McClelland Ells m etRiv e Lake F r ire River M bag u R Namur Fort Creek s ive Ta k r Lake r River e iver Calumet g R River Tar River Kearl Fort Isadore's Lake Creek Lake MacKay River J Muskeg r !( a v e s Ri Fort McKay c River E ll k p in Mills e Creek Cr e e k M Steepbank Clearwater k c er e Le River iv a e r River Original n e R r C r re iv e C ek Poplar v S ep R a ar te bank e pl Creek B P o Cle ar MacKay River wa !( ter McLean Shipyard Rive r Upper Fort McMurray Beaver Creek Lake River River asca Athab Horse River Hangingstone River Christina UV63 River VU881 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES LEGEND 1:1,350,000 !( Population Centre To w n s h ip B ou n da r y 0 20 40 Kilometers Map : Watershed Boundary Waterbody Fort McKay Métis and First Nation Traditional Territory Watercourse Created: January 07, 2016 Traditionally Fort McKay ! ! Fort McMurray First Nation Reserves Major Road Coordinate System: Used Waterways NAD 1983 UTM Zone 12N Grande SASKATCHEWAN Prairie BRITISH COLUMBIA ! Protected Areas Railway Base Features: AltaLIS, IHS, Geogratis Provincial Border The McKay Métis Edmonton ! HEG FRONTIER MINE PROJECT ICA PAGE 138 OF 419 SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE 8.1 Fishing and Water Use in the 1960s In the 1960s, fishing was still a widespread activity, playing an important role in the community’s culture and economy. In addition to the commercial fishery that began on Lake Athabasca in the mid 1940s, regional lakes, the Athabasca River and its major tributaries continued to be the primary source to catch and dry fish for winter use (FMTA 1983, p. 91). Gatherings at summer fish camps along the Athabasca were still hubs of social interaction and a place to pass on traditional skills and traditional knowledge (HEG 2009). 8.1.1 Cultural Values Linked to Fishing and Water Use in the 1960s Fort McKay Métis members remember the way the Athabasca River was before oil sands development. People remember when regional waterways could be relied upon as a source of drinking water, for fish, as a place to meet, gather, live and as a vital transportation corridor. Based on their time spent working, playing and travelling on the Athabasca River, Fort McKay Métis members also remember how the river looked, how deep it was, where the channels and rapids were, when the river froze and when ice jams flooded the shores in the spring. This intimate relationship with the Athabasca River and its major tributaries has created the framework for much of Métis culture and their understanding of the land and waters in the Athabasca region. Fort McKay Métis members associate 1960s Fishing and Water Use with the following cultural values: • Identity; • Self reliance; • Cooperation; • Cohesion; • Happiness; • Adaptability; • Self-determination/leadership; and • Understanding nature. Identity Fort McKay Métis participants in this assessment referred to themselves as “river people”. Fishing and travelling on rivers is strongly linked to Métis identity. In the 1960s, it was still common for individuals and families to travel along the rivers and interact with each other as they fished and prepared fish. This experience HEG FRONTIER MINE PROJECT ICA PAGE 139 OF 419 SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE contributed to the their knowledge about the rivers, aquatic ecosystems, the community and its history. Self Reliance In the 1960s, community members continued to fish and were able to drink water straight from the Athabasca River and many of its tributaries. Access to clean water and fish are both directly linked to the value of self-reliance. Water from the Athabasca was used for household cooking and cleaning, and community members felt confident drinking water from the Athabasca River and many other waterways throughout the region. Fish was used for food and to feed work dogs throughout the year. Multiple reports and EIAs have listed the many types of fish harvested by Fort McKay Métis members, the traditional methods of harvesting fish (nets, snares, rods) and the peoples’ reliance on fish as food for themselves and their sled dogs. Cooperation/Cohesion/Happiness Fishing and related activities (preparing fish, smoking fish) was often done in groups. Seasonal fishing along the Athabasca brought people together and most recollections of fishing include extended families and the concept of working together. Spending time working and camping together promoted the values of cohesion and cooperation among families. Summer fish camps are associated with hard work, but also with music, story-telling and good times with friends and family. Adaptability In the 1960s, a good portion of the Fort McKay Métis members had the skills necessary to successfully navigate the Athabasca River and many of its tributaries. Knowledge related to river systems and aquatic ecosystems enabled them to move effectively through the territory in the summer and winter. In the 1960s, many Fort McKay Métis members still fished for food, bait and to feed dogs. The skills gained through fishing and travel along the regional waterways provided skills necessary for a subsistence lifestyle, but also skills to support a range of compatible seasonal employment opportunities (such as river transportation, guiding, forestry), making the transition between subsistence lifestyles and the wage economy easier. Self-Determination/Leadership In the 1960s, Fort McKay Métis members harvested fish when they needed to, in the places their families had fished for generations. Community members HEG FRONTIER MINE PROJECT ICA PAGE 140 OF 419 SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE were confident they would be able to harvest enough healthy fish to feed themselves and in some cases, dogs. Members could travel freely along waterways to visit family members or get supplies and to access harvesting areas on trap lines with little to no interference from any outsiders. Understanding Nature As with other harvesting activities, fishing is heavily dependent on a healthy ecosystem and knowledge of the land, thus fishing is directly related to the understanding of aquatic ecosystems. Figure 8-1 shows the activity-value linkages for Fishing in the 1960s. Figure 8-1 Cultural Values Linked to Fishing and Water Use in the 1960s 8.2 Industrial Stressors Affecting Fishing and Water Use Environmental and social effects resulting from oil sand development and the affect it has had on the land surrounding the community of Fort McKay has been well documented in numerous EIAs, community reports (Stelfox et al. HEG FRONTIER MINE PROJECT ICA PAGE 141 OF 419 SECTION 8.0 FISHING AND WATER USE 2013; Fort McKay IRC 2010a; Fort McKay IRC 2010b; HEG 2009; FMFN 1994; FMTA 1983) and regional research projects. Fort McKay Métis members feel that it is some of these industrial impacts that are directly affecting their ability to maintain certain aspects of their culture. The industrial stressors identified as having the biggest effect on Fort McKay Métis lifestyles are listed in Section 2.2 and described in Appendix C. Fort McKay Métis members feel the most significant industry stressors affecting Fishing and Water Use are: • Loss of land; • Less water in the rivers; • Reduced access along rivers and to traditional fisheries; • Increased pollution; • Less fish; • Loss of agency and power; and • Increased regional population. The following descriptions of industry stressors affecting Fishing and Water Use are based on community observations and experiences, regional monitoring programs and research projects.

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