Fishing weirs have traditionally fostered community focus, food sustenance and a sense of place. The Bramber Weir in Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, is both a commercial weir and a centre for learning about local wildlife and habitats.
This short film documents the partnership between MINAS (Marine Institute of Natural and Academic Science) hosted at the Bramber weir and OTN. MINAS, a grassroots organization of community and First Nations stakeholders, helps integrate traditional and local knowledge into academic-led research using the Bramber weir as a research and learning site. OTN is a global science platform that tracks the movements and survival of aquatic animals, including species that are integral to the livelihoods of the Bramber community.
Incorporating western and local knowledge systems provides greater capacity to track biodiversity and to document the movements and survival of aquatic species in response to anthropogenic stressors. MINAS and the Bramber weir are leaders in generating community-driven data (citizen science), knowledge mobilization and management actions that address concerns at the ecosystem level, by those who understand it best–the people that live there.