Watching the Water, Protecting Whales

The Gitga’at Guardian program is part of the Gitga’at Nation’s stewardship programs to strengthen knowledge of their territory and enable sound conservation and resource management decisions. This includes understanding of how to protect the rare wildlife found in their territory.

The remote, island-dotted coastal waters of the Gitga’at Nation are ideal whale habitat, including endangered species such as Orca and Fin Whales, and at-risk species such as Humpback whales. The Gitga’at have partnered with a number of organizations to support research initiatives that track the movement of whales in their territory and examine the conditions that support whale abundance.

In partnership with the North Coast Cetacean Society, the Guardians helped install a hydrophone network — a series of underwater microphones that detect the song calls of whales. It’s the first of its kind in Canada, and it helps to determine the whales’ favourite feeding areas, routes of travel, and duration of stay in certain areas. It’s an exciting initiative to help understand key factors for whale conservation.

Chris Picard, Science Director of the Gitga’at First Nation, explains how the traditional ecological knowledge of the Nation works in tandem with the hydrophone project. “The Gitga’at Nation and Guardians’ extensive knowledge of whale sightings and frequency helped to design the hydrophone project. It determined what should monitored and where, and the guardians also assisted with the installation of the network.”

The Guardians also support the North Coast Cetacean Society by observing and recording whale sightings while out on patrol to add to the Society’s database. They identify individual Humpback whales from the unique markings on the underside of their tail fins and record the sighting. This information helps to track population dynamics and the movements of each whale spotted in Gitga’at territory.

The partnership also extends to analysis of the data. “The Society is currently collecting all the data, but when it comes time to analyze it, report on it, and ask research questions, we will work closely with them” says Picard.

From Observation to Understanding

The Gitga’at wanted to take this research one step further. For them, it was not enough to simply know the number of whales and their location in the territory. The Nation also wanted to understand the underlying factors that attract and sustain the whale populations in the first place. “We wanted to get a better sense of what was actually bringing whales to the territory. We know where the whales are, their activities, their numbers, and when they come and go. What we didn’t know is why,” explains Picard.

We wanted to get a better sense of what was actually bringing whales to the territory. We know where the whales are, their activities, their numbers, and when they come and go. What we didn’t know is why.

To find the answer, the Nation partnered with Scripps Institute of Oceanography to determine the conditions that support whale populations in Gitga’at territory. “This partnership is focused on examining water conditions such as temperature and salinity,  and the abundance, biodiversity, and biomass of zooplankton,” explains Picard. When finalized, the data will present a bigger picture of why the Gitga’at territory is such desirable habitat for whales.

The Gitga’at Guardians assisted in the design of the study and have also provided equipment and logistical support. In turn, the partnership has spurred a future training initiative for the Gitga’at Guardians. “We’ve realized we would like to have some of the Guardians take this oceanographic training further so we can continue this high-level monitoring into the future,” says Picard.

The presence of the Guardians also ensures that they are able to protect wildlife by quickly responding to distress calls. In July 2015, the Guardians were able to save a stranded orca whale in their territory.

Listening to the Forest: Measuring Industrial Noise

Back on dry land, the Nation also has monitoring projects to maintain the health of its lands, forests, and terrestrial animal populations by measuring noise levels and “noise pollution” in its territory. In 2013, the Gitga’at Guardians developed an acoustic baseline data-collection project with University of British Columbia student Max Ritts and ecologist Stuart Gage.

For this data-collection effort, the Guardians helped to install eight automated sound recording meters throughout Douglas Channel, Wright Sound, and Otter Channel. The meters record the sounds of animal, human, and industrial noises to create an acoustic measure of each ecosystem. By establishing an acoustic baseline for the area, the meters can measure how noise levels change with industrial activity and determine the health of an ecosystem and how it is affected by development.

The Gitga’at Guardian program supported the design, installation, and maintenance of this project. Now that this effort has been underway for two years, they are turning to the reporting phase with a long-term view. “We are at the stage now where we will be doing analysis of the data and reports and thinking about how to design a follow up, longer term project,” says Picard. The results from the data provide the Gitga’at with evidence for how industry affects the ecology of their territory and use this information when planning future projects.

Looking to the Past for the Future

For centuries, members of the Gitga’at First Nation have stewarded their lands and resources for the benefit of future generations. The Nation has turned to the traditional use of their resources to help determine sustainable practices and resource management priorities.

To capture this knowledge, the Gitga’at are studying archaeological features in their territory and conducting interviews with Elders. This research paints a broader picture of how the territory has been managed for centuries.

“We are trying to document all the knowledge that the Elders have, and the evidence of past occupancy patterns that are etched in the land,” explains Spencer Greening, a Gitga’at First Nation member and University of Northern British Columbia Masters student. “This area has a lot of fishing history. We are looking at evidence of fish traps in the area to get an idea of how our ancestors managed fish there, estimate what time of year people were fishing, and determine their route,” says Greening.

We aren’t just talking about traditional stewardship. We are living it, strengthening our ability to govern and watch over the territory, and ensuring that our vision for it is alive and well.

By examining past stewardship practices, the Nation hopes to maintain the cultural traditions and resources of the land to ensure harvests do not deplete resources and that their ecosystems remain healthy. “The in-depth knowledge that the Elders have, about which streams will be salmon bearing and exactly what time of year – it’s an unbelievable amount of knowledge that exists,” says Greening.

These research findings will ultimately be incorporated into the Nation’s traditional laws and guiding management practices. “We are doing this research to affirm that these are our territories, and these are the laws for them” says Greening. “We aren’t just talking about traditional stewardship. We are living it, strengthening our ability to govern and watch over the territory, and ensuring that our vision for it is alive and well.”

Monitoring Bears

Gitga’at territory is home to the revered “Spirit Bear”—black bears with a rare recessive gene that produces a white coat. The territory has a higher frequency of these bears than anywhere else in the world and they are culturally significant to the Gitga’at people.

In order to improve the Nation’s ability to protect Spirit Bears, the Gitga’at Guardian program is piloting a data-collection project to research them. “Through this project, we want to understand bear foraging requirements, seasonal use patterns, and habitat range to make sure the bear population remains healthy and stable,” says Picard.

To measure these activities, the Guardians have installed hair snag stations throughout the territory to collect bear hair for DNA testing. This DNA research shows the number of bears that are in the area and whether they are carriers of the white-coat gene. Through stable isotope analysis, the hair samples also tell researchers about the bears’ diet and whether they are getting enough to eat.

For information on the relationship between the Gitga’at and the bears in their territory, watch below:

Guardians of the Great Bear Rainforest: Spirit Bears and the Gitga’at Nation

Key Challenges and Successes

Steady Growth

The Gitga’at Guardians have developed their programs over many years to achieve what they have today. It took time to develop, and management was careful to ensure the growth of the organization was supported by human resources. This included a complete restructuring of the organization in 2009.

“When we knew how much work there was to do, we started brainstorming how we were going to do it, and a lot of thought went into the re-structuring of the Guardians and how to build from there,” says Robinson. “We were always careful to not take on too much, because that could be overwhelming and we did not want to do an incomplete job of anything. We would rather start small and do a great job of a few things, and then take on more.”

Since the re-structuring, the program is more robust than ever. The Gitga’at Guardians continue to plan ahead for how to sustainably expand their programs and hone their scientific knowledge of the territory.

Fostering Diverse Partnerships

Developing strong partnerships has been fundamental to the success of the Nation’s research programs. Often, partnerships have begun informally, with the Guardians lending logistical support to researchers, and have grown to incorporate the Gitga’at on the research aims and analysis of projects, as with Scripps Institute and North Coast Cetacean Society.

Maintaining relationships with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Coast Guard has also enabled the Gitga’at to clearly communicate concerns they have within their territory. “It’s a two-way relationship” says Robinson. “If they ever need us to check out anything in the water, we drop our stuff and come help them out.”

Likewise, the Guardians have taken representatives of DFO out with them to show them the sensitive and important areas of their territory and what the Guardians are working to protect. “It helps them understand what’s at stake for us. Then when we communicate what we want to accomplish in our territory, they know what is important to us.”