NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: traditional knowledge, marine environment, environmental impact assessment

Objective(s): To collect baseline data to enhance Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited’s (Imperial’s) understanding of the marine environment in Tuktoyaktuk Harbour, harvesting of traditional resources in the harbour and general area around Tuktoyaktuk, and the patterns of country food consumption by community members.

Project Description: The objective of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Socio-Economic data Collection Program for Tuktoyaktuk Harbour (the TEK Program) is to collect baseline data to enhance Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited’s (Imperial’s) understanding of the marine environment in Tuktoyaktuk Harbour, harvesting of traditional resources in the harbour and general area around Tuktoyaktuk, and the patterns of country food consumption by community members. This is a follow-up to TEK work conducted in all six Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) communities in 2010 by BP Exploration Operating Company Limited (BP) as part of the Beaufort Sea Exploration Joint Venture Drilling Program. The information will be used to partly assess the potential and residual impacts of the Project on traditional resources and their use, as well as the marine environment. The information will be further used to outline impact mitigation in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The TEK Program will include a series of key informant interviews and focus group discussions in Tuktoyaktuk. Interviews and focus groups are expected to last about two hours and are expected to occur over the course of two days. Information will be recorded in field notes, audio recordings, and on maps. The study area will be Tuktoyaktuk Harbour and the general area within a 50 km radius of Tuktoyaktuk. Key informant interviews and focus group discussion methodologies use guides, or semi-structured instruments, rather than questionnaires. The guides are not meant to be strictly adhered to, as it is important to allow people to talk about their knowledge of the study area. Additionally, different guides are used with different informants or focus groups, as each may have particular areas of expertise or interest. A draft copy of a key informant interview and focus group discussion guide is attached. The final guides will be agreed upon during discussions with community representatives. The interviews will be conducted by the Lead Interviewer and Translator from the research team in conjunction with a local research assistant. The Principal Investigator or one of the Traditional Studies Facilitators will also be present during the interviews or focus groups to oversee proper research procedures. Translation will be provided where requested. Participants are expected to be people who are the most knowledgeable about the marine environment in Tuktoyaktuk Harbour, traditional resources and harvesting in the harbour and general area around Tuktoyaktuk, and patterns of country food consumption. Study participants will be selected through planning discussions with the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee (HTC). Imperial will present the results of the TEK Program, as a non-technical summary, to the participants and the Tuktoyaktuk HTC. Participants will have the opportunity to comment on the accuracy and completeness of the information, and will also have the opportunity to recommend changes to the document. After the participants and HTC have given permission to use the information, it will be used to help prepare an EIA for the Drilling Program. The EIA review process includes the distribution of documentation to all interested parties in the NWT. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from November 13, 2013 to December 31, 2013.