NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area

Tags: social sciences, aboriginal community, co-management, traditional knowledge, wildlife management, harvest sustainability, renewable resources, food source, traditional wildlife use

Objective(s): The Sahtu Settlement Harvest Study is an important project required under the Sahtu Land Claim Agreement (1993). The Sahtu Renewable Resource Board - a comanagement Board set up under the Claim, is responsible for conducting this project. The study will provide information on the numbers of fish and wildlife harvested by Sahtu Dene-Metis over the next five years. The Board will use this information to meet two specific objectives: 1) establish the minimum needs level of Sahtu Dene-Metis; 2) tool for natural resources management in the region.

Project Description: The Harvest Study is a 5 year, 5 community study being conducted in the Sahtu Settlement (currently running in 4 of 5 communities-talks ongoing with Deline RRC). Each month, in each community, a local interviewer recommended by the local Renewable Resource Council collects harvest information in their community using a brief face-to-face interview. All adult Sahtu Dene-Metis harvesters and a select group of adult non-beneficiaries who provide for their Dene-Metis families are interviewed every month. Numbers and general locations of all fish and wildlife species harvested are collected. The study is private and confidential - harvesters names will never be released. Confidentiality is maintained through use of harvester ID numbers.