In our Research Highlights blog series, we debut newly published fisheries research by our women of fisheries colleagues. If you have research you would like to highlight and share with our readers, submit a nomination form here! 

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Daigle, N.J., S. White, B.A. Lubinski, R. Johnson, D.C. Kazyak, C.E. Verhille, C.-A. Gillis, and C.F.D. Sacobie. 2025. Stock composition of cryptic Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Restigouche River and estuary, Canada. Scientific Reports 15: 20654.

New discoveries in science are possible when we are open to listening and learning in new ways. Here, we share a story of how researchers and Indigenous communities in Canada are working together to understand and protect an ecologically and culturally important sturgeon species.

This story begins with a meeting between Nicole Daigle, currently a PhD candidate at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Dr. Carole-Anne Gillis, the Scientific Director at the Gespe’gewa’gi Institute of Natural Understanding (GINU), and Nicole’s co-supervisor, Dr. Charles Sacobie, UNB’s Indigenous Science Scholar and Principal Investigator of the Sahkupi Mawi Research Group. Their shared interest in Atlantic sturgeon sparked a research project that could influence the future co-management of the species in Eastern Canada.

Known scientifically as Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus and by its Mi’gmaw name Gomqwatamu, the Atlantic sturgeon is unmistakable with its pointed snout, rows of bony plates, and shark-like tail. Its appearance has remained largely unchanged for around 70 million years, earning it the nickname “living fossil.” These fish are found along the Atlantic coast of North America and return to rivers and coastal waters in the spring or summer to spawn. Because they can live for decades and take up to 30 years to mature, they are especially vulnerable to threats like habitat loss, overfishing, and bycatch. Today, the Atlantic sturgeon is listed as a threatened species in both Canada and the United States, with most populations in the United States considered endangered.

It also has a significant history with Indigenous Peoples along the Atlantic coast, valued as a source for both food (such as eggs) and materials (such as leather). This connection was a key driver of the collaboration between Dr. Carole-Anne Gillis and the Sahkupi Mawi. Although Atlantic sturgeon was historically reported by the Mi’gmaw people in the Restigouche River system and Dr. Carole-Anne Gillis reported increasing sightings by Mi’gmaw fishers since the 1970s, it had yet to be recognized or reported by the Western scientific community. That was about to change.

In Canada, Atlantic sturgeon are managed as two genetically distinct populations, or designated units: St Lawrence River population to the north and Maritimes population to the south. While sturgeon often return to the same area to spawn, they can also travel large distances in search of food, making their movements less predictable. Without genetic information, it can be difficult to determine the source population of spawning individuals. To answer this question, Nicole, her research team, and community partners that included Listuguj Mi’gmaw fishers worked together to collect genetic samples from Atlantic sturgeon in the Restigouche River system. 

As expected given the close proximity of the two systems, more than 96% of the fish had genetic ties, either fully or in part, to the St Lawrence River population. However, the research team were puzzled by the genetic results of some fish that may suggest either that there is a distinct Restigouche River population or that there is simply a genetic version of the Atlantic sturgeon that hasn’t yet been observed for the St. Lawrence River population. 

This study was possible due to the adoption of a “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach. Coined by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall, “Two-Eyed Seeing” is a principle that seeks to integrate Western and Indigenous perspectives to provide a fuller understanding of the world. Nicole emphasizes the importance of starting conversations with Indigenous communities early in the research process and maintaining those partnerships throughout planning, data collection, and analysis. 

Nicole and her team are not finished yet. In the next chapter of this story, tissue samples that were collected from each fish were analyzed to study habitat use in the Restigouche River using stable isotope analyses. Fish that could not be released alive were also used to advance scientific knowledge and support conservation efforts. As Nicole explains, “We conducted additional sampling (full dissections and stable isotope analyses of various internal organs) on our mortalities, and we plan to donate the carcasses back to the community once our two studies are both published. Our publication will provide the community with information about these sturgeon and may begin dialogue on the incorporation of future conservation measures and co-management practices.” 

Indeed, two eyes—two ways of seeing the world—can open new paths for scientific inquiry and discovery. This story stands as a testament to what becomes possible when we are open to other perspectives and working together.

The full manuscript can be found and downloaded here (open access):
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04551-x

Two-Eyed Seeing (Bartlett et al. 2012):
doi.org/10.1007/s13412-012-0086-8