Where rivers connect us: communities, rivers and salmon in Nova Scotia

Our North-to-North exchange started in Nova Scotia, where we were warmly welcomed by partners working at the heart of wild Atlantic salmon conservation. The visit offered a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of how communities, researchers, and conservation organizations are working together to sustain salmon and the river systems they depend on.

Community leadership along Nova Scotia’s Salmon rivers

A special thank-you goes to Matt Russell from the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), whose coordination and connections helped bring people together throughout our time in Nova Scotia. We are also deeply grateful to our hosts from the Chéticamp River Salmon Association (CRSA) and the Margaree Salmon Association (MSA), who generously shared their time, experience, and on-the-ground knowledge of river stewardship.

Across the Chéticamp and Margaree watersheds in Cape Breton, two vital Atlantic salmon rivers, we were reminded that salmon conservation is deeply woven into community life and long-standing relationships with these waters. Local stewardship groups are not only monitoring salmon populations and protecting salmon habitat, but actively sustaining long-standing cultural and ecological connections to these watersheds.

Our conversations with Project Manager Jillian Bakker, Field Technician Luca Kordsmeyer, and Jimmie Pedersen from the Chéticamp River Salmon Association (CRSA), as well as with Paul MacNeil, President of the Margaree Salmon Association (MSA), highlighted the strength and importance of community-led action in driving salmon conservation on the ground. We saw this commitment in action through hands-on habitat restoration, smolt wheel monitoring projects, learned about the salmon ceremony, and educational work with local schools and sharing salmon with elders in the communities, all of which are actively strengthening salmon populations while deepening community relations to and with  the salmon river.

In this photo: North-to-North exchange participants Jan Erik Henriksen and Thora Herrmann in conversation with Paul MacNeil, President of the Margaree Salmon Association (left), Matt Russell from the Atlantic Salmon Federation (second from right), and Kyle Denny, Mi’kmaq First Nation member and Indigenous advisor to ASF (right), discussing community-led stewardship and collaborative approaches to wild Atlantic salmon conservation. Photo credit: Paul MacNeil.

Knowledge exchange at Dalhousie University

In Halifax, we visited the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University where we were warmly welcomed by Sara Seck, Director of the Marine & Environmental Law Institute, who kindly hosted us, and we had the opportunity to engage with researchers Hannah Harrison (Marine Affairs Program), Naiomi Metallic (Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy; Aboriginal Law Certificate Coordinator), and colleagues Andrew Medeiros (School for Resource and Environmental Studies), Ronnie Noonan-Birch (Ocean Frontier Institute), Cecilia Engler (MELAW post-doctoral fellow), Gustavo Liete Neves da Luz (MELAW post-doctoral fellow), and Anne Fauré (UQUAR) all working at the intersection of environmental governance, law, and Indigenous knowledge systems.

After an overview of the Birgejupmi project by Thora, Jan Erik gave a presentation on “Birgehallat: The Sámi Way of Understanding and Adapting to a Changing World”, offering insights on birgejupmi in the Sámi context, and Sámi understandings of land, water, and relational responsibility. We enjoyed rich discussions that opened up important comparative reflections on how Indigenous knowledge systems and legal traditions inform and strengthen approaches to environmental stewardship, and a shared curiosity and commitment to rethinking how we understand and govern ecosystems. Our mutual exchanges highlighted the value of bringing different knowledge systems into dialogue, particularly when addressing shared challenges in ecosystem governance and conservation.

We deepened our conversations with Hannah Harrison during a guided tour in Halifax, and over a shared diner at the waterfront with Hannah and Sara.

In this photo: Jan Erik Henriksen and Thora Herrmann with Sara Seck and Hannah Harrison at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Photo Credit: Hannah Harrison 

Perspectives from Oceans North

We also met with Oceans North in Halifax, where discussions focused on marine conservation, governance, and the interconnectedness of coastal and freshwater ecosystems. This meeting broadened our conversation beyond individual rivers to the larger systems that are key for salmon migration, survival, and resilience.

Strengthening connections across the North

Throughout our time in Nova Scotia, one theme remained consistent: wild salmon connect people and places across vast distances. Whether in the Chéticamp and Margaree watersheds, in academic settings, or in broader conservation networks, we saw how shared challenges are met with shared commitment.
We leave Nova Scotia with deep appreciation for the generosity of our hosts and partners, and with strengthened connections that will continue to support collaborative work across the North.

Once again, thank you to Matt Russel fromthe Atlantic Salmon Federation, the M’ikmaq First Nation, CRSA, MSA, Sara Seck, Hannah Harrison and the colleagues at Dalhousie University and everyone who welcomed us, helped make this North-to-North exchange possible and shared their knowledge throughout the visit.