TTHEK'EHDELI/JEAN MARIE RIVER - Last month Ekahli Lake was the site of winter fisheries training for both adults and youths.

From Feb. 8 to 12 Mike Loe, the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy co-ordinator, conducted a winter fisheries survey and youth project funded by Dehcho First Nations' Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management Program (AAROM). Held on Ekahli Lake near Jean Marie River the event was AAROM's first winter in the Deh Cho and the first project to include youths.

Rhonda Grossetete, centre left, and Kyla Norwegian untangle a fish from a net while Kody Hardisty-Sangris, left, and Alicia Grossetete watch. - photo courtesy of Mike Loe

Over the week Loe worked with Angus Sanguez, who has been chosen as an AAROM community monitor. Sanguez was introduced to the concepts behind winter surveys and fish monitoring.

The training also included students from Louie Norwegian School who learned about aquatic conservation. The students helped set gill nets under the ice and got a basic introduction to fish sampling and fish anatomy

The students assisted by recording data about the fish caught in the nets. The species included jackfish, white fish, northern pike and ciscos. Students had the opportunity to witness Loe dissect a northern pike that happened to have a whole cisco in its stomach.

The students were "absolutely fantastic," said Loe.

"They are absolutely absorbed into the info they are getting."

The training was a chance to show the youths the possible career paths in resource management, he said.

"It's an opportunity to educate both adults and youth."

The winter program at Ekahli Lake is part of a larger training program to assist Deh Cho communities build research and monitoring capacities so they can manage their fisheries, said George Loe, the co-ordinator for Dehcho First Nations' AAROM program.

Although this was the first winter monitoring program a number of Deh Cho communities have long-standing summer programs. Trout Lake has had a monitoring program for more than 10 years and both Kakisa and Fort Providence have programs that track sports fishing.

Last summer Jean Marie River, Wrigley and Nahanni Butte each started programs. Community members used boats to keep track of activities on nearby waterways. By this summer every Deh Cho community should have a program, said George.

The goal is to build on the new programs and expand into areas including water sampling and possibly contaminants sampling, he said.

"The idea of monitoring is to do it year after year after year and see what changes are happening," said George.

"We want to get back to where the communities have information to mange their own fisheries."