OVERVIEW
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We have assembled Indigenous, archaeological, and ecological knowledge to examine how the revitalization of Indigenous governance, ancestral hunting, and mariculture technologies, such as clam gardens, can support food sovereignty, cultural identity, persistent sea otter populations, and resilient kelp forest habitat amid a changing ocean. By peering through multiple lenses and ways of knowing, we have deepened our understanding of human-ocean relationships along the Pacific Coast and are well positioned to inform more equitable, resilient, and sustainable ocean policies. Our research is co-designed and mobilized by a Steering Committee of Indigenous Hereditary Leaders, representing Hereditary Chiefs’ Councils of the nuučaanuɫ, Haíɫzaqv and Xaayda Nations. Formed in 2013 and known as Coastal Voices, this Steering Committee ensures our research is relevant, equitable, reciprocal, and meets the needs and priorities of the Nations. To initiate our work, we held two Listening Circles where we identified ancestral governance principles that govern coastal social ecological relationships and
management objectives of the Hereditary Chiefs, contemporary rights holders and descendants of the original, deep time leaders responsible for managing the relationships between people, lands, and waters prior to the incursion of settler-colonial laws. |
"a sea otter, kʷakʷaƛ in nuučaanuł, floats on her back in Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' territory" - Taken by Hannah Kobluk
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We disrupted typical academic power hierarchies by deploying decolonial methods, centering Indigenous knowledge holders and leaders, and having scientists serve as witnesses.
Two years later, our Summer Gathering focused on future visioning and initiating our social-ecological model. There, we were directed by our Steering Committee to share their ancestral laws and objectives widely. We thus co-wrote a paper documenting how these shared ancestral laws can be applied to support equitable ocean science and policies here in Canada (Salomon et al. 2023) and better align environmental management to address linked social-ecological challenges (Kobluk et al 2024).
Two years later, our Summer Gathering focused on future visioning and initiating our social-ecological model. There, we were directed by our Steering Committee to share their ancestral laws and objectives widely. We thus co-wrote a paper documenting how these shared ancestral laws can be applied to support equitable ocean science and policies here in Canada (Salomon et al. 2023) and better align environmental management to address linked social-ecological challenges (Kobluk et al 2024).
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By developing methods that draw upon archaeological fish bone assemblages preserved in ancestral shell middens (Hillis et al. 2022), our team has revealed 5,000 years of ocean temperature change. We also developed a method to predict the size structure of ancient shellfish harvests using shell fragments (Hillis et al. 2024). By learning from the past, we have extended our baselines from which to measure change, which can in turn inform resilient fisheries and marine policies into the future.
Through all this work, we have co-produced a social-ecological model that can be used to evaluate alternative stewardship scenarios. Recent support from Lenfest, allowed us to hold another Summer Gathering where we refined current management objectives, shared preliminary model results, and took action by building a clam garden. As we look to the future, we aim to mobilize our knowledge to policy makers, both provincially and federally. |
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LANDSCAPE 6 TEAM
Steering Committee
Git Kinjuaas HEREDITARY CHIEF STEERING COMMITTEE Cumshewa, St’awaas XaaydaGaay 
Skil-Hiilans Allan Davison HEREDITARY CHIEF STEERING COMMITTEE Haida Nation 
n'yasim Samantha Christiansen hereditary chief steering committee Ka:'yu:'k't'h' Nation |
Wigvilhba Wakas Harvey Humchitt Sr Hereditary Chief steering committee Heiltsuk Nation 
Kii’iljuus Barbara Wilson Cultural advisor steering committee Haida Nation
Wickaninnish Cultural advisor steering committee Nuu-chah-nulth Nations |
Hup-in-Yook Tommy Happynook hEREDITARY cHIEF STEERING COMMITTEE Huu-ay-aht Nation 
Hyuuštulth Francis Gillette hereditary chief steering committee Che:k:tles7et'h' Nation |
wiicuckum Anne Mack HEREDITARY CHIEF STEERING COMMITTEE Toquaht Nation 
Gidansda hereditary chief steering committee Haida Nation |
Core Research Family
Anne Salomon she/her lead Simon Fraser University |
Iain McKechnie he/him Co-Applicant University of Victoria |
Aaron MacNeil CO-APPLICANT Dalhousie University |
Hannah Kobluk she/her Phd student Simon Fraser University |
Dylan Hillis he/him PHD student University of Victoria |
Nicklaus Kemp he/him mASTER'S STUDENT Simon Fraser University |
Michèle Grenier She/her Master's student Simon Fraser University |
Jennifer Silver Collaborator Simon Fraser University |
Tim Tinker COLLABORATOR Dalhousie University |
Dan Okamoto COLLABORATOR University of Florida |
Arun Oakley-Cogan he/him PHD Student Dalhouise University |
Extended Family Members
Hannah Klassen she/her ALUM |
Lynn Lee COLLABORATOR Parks Canada |
Chris Golden he/him COLLABORATOR Harvard University |
Evelyn Pinkerton COLLABORATOR Simon Fraser University |
Linda Nichol COLLABORATOR Fisheries and Oceans Canada |
William Cheung CO-APPLICANT University of British Columbia |
Laurie Chan CO-APPLICANT University of Ottawa |
Mexis former hEREDITARY cHIEF STEERING COMMITTEE Huu-ay-aht Nation |
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
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Insights Gained from Including People in Our Models of Nature and Modes of Science
Salomon, A.K. and I. McKechnie. (2025)
By considering the reciprocal relationships between people and the ecosystems within which they are embedded, evidence of humanity's ability to experiment, learn, adapt, innovate, and sustain diverse and resilient social–ecological relationships emerges. Therefore, recognizing people as inseparable components of marine ecosystems and their millennia of engagement with coastal ocean spaces is critical to both understanding marine ecosystems and devising resilient and equitable ocean policies.
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A palaeothermometer of ancient Indigenous fisheries reveals increases in mean temperature of the catch over five millennia
Hillis, D., Gustas, B., Pauly, D., Cheung, W., Salomon, A., McKechnie, I. (2022)
Climate change is altering the distribution and composition of marine fish populations globally, which presents substantial risks to the social and economic well-being of humanity. While deriving long-term climatic baselines is an essential step for detecting and attributing the magnitude of climate change and its impacts, these baselines tend to be limited to historical datasets and palaeoecological sediment records. Here, we develop a method for estimating the ‘ancient Mean Temperature of the Catch’ (aMTC) using Indigenous fisheries catch records from two archaeological sites in the northeast Pacific.
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Estimating size-at-harvest from Indigenous archaeological clamshell assemblages in Coastal British Columbia
Hillis, D. Barclay, M., Foster, E., Kobluk, H., Vollman, T., Salomon, A., Darimont, C., McKechnie, I. (2024)
Shellfish have supported Indigenous lifeways on the Pacific Coast of North America for millennia. Despite the ubiquity of clamshells in archaeological sites, shell size measurements are rarely reported due to a lack of applicable basis for generating size estimates from fragmentary remains. We present a linear regression-based method for determining shell length from hinge and umbo measurements of littleneck (Leukoma staminea; n = 239), butter (Saxidomus gigantea; n = 274), and horse (Tresus nuttallii; n = 92) clams using both contemporary and archaeological shells collected from three regions in coastal British Columbia, Canada.
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Disrupting and diversifying the values, voices and governance principles that shape biodiversity science and management
Salomon, A., Okamoto, D. K., Wilson, B. J., Happynook, T., Wickaninnish, Mack, A., Davidson, A., Guujaaw, G., Humchitt, H. L., Happynook, T. M., Cox, C., Gillette, F., Christiansen, S., Dragon, D., Kobluk, H. M., Lee, L. C., Tinker, M. T., Silver, J. J., Armitage, D., McKechnie, I., MacNeil, A., Hillis, D., Muhl, E. K., Gregr, E. J., Commander, C. J. C., Augustine, A.(2023)
With climate, biodiversity and inequity crises squarely upon us, never has there been a more pressing time to rethink how we conceptualize, understand and manage our relationship with Earth's biodiversity. Here, we describe governance principles of 17 Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Coast of North America used to understand and steward relationships among all components of nature, including humans.
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Relational place-based solutions for environmental policy misalignments
Kobluk, H. M., Salomon, A. K., Ford, A. T., Kadykalo, A. N., Hessami, M. A., Labranche, P. A., Richter, C.,, Palen, W.J., Happynook, ḥapinyuuk T., Humphries, M.M., and Bennett, E. M. (2024)
Current reductionist approaches to environmental governance cannot resolve social-ecological crises. Siloed institutions fail to address linked social and ecological processes, thereby neglecting issues of equity, justice, and cumulative effects. Global insights can be gained from Indigenous-led initiatives that support the resilience of relationships within and among places.
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KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION
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Salomon, A.K. and Wilson, Kii’iljuus B. 2024. Q&A with Anne Salomon and Ḵii’iljuus Barbara Wilson: Tides of change and resilient communities. One Earth 7(10): p1682-1684
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