DEH CHO - Three communities in the Deh Cho are beginning to take a closer look at their aquatic resources this year.

Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte and Wrigley are all new participants in the Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management (AAROM) program.

Jean Marie River First Nation is using the Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management program to conduct a survey of who is using the Mackenzie River near their community. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The program, which is part of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, assists aboriginal groups to acquire the administrative capacity and scientific and technical expertise to participate in the management of their aquatic resources.

Dehcho First Nations has been involved in the program for approximately three years but due to staffing changes the delivery hasn't been consistent, said George Low, the AAROM co-ordinator for Dehcho First Nations.

Low took the co-ordinator position in late January and is looking at this year as an opportunity to expand the program in the region.

"My objective this year is to really get to know the leadership and the administrative personnel by working with them personally," Low said.

Dehcho First Nations is primarily using the AAROM funding for eight capacity building projects in the region. Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte and Wrigley have the newest projects.

This year, both Jean Marie River and Nahanni Butte started a river monitoring project. Both communities, along with Wrigley, were given an 18-foot Lund.

The funding is providing the salary for one adult and one student to use the boat and monitor the rivers they're located beside.

For now, the monitors are conducting surveys of who's using the rivers and for what purpose.

"We're going to build on it," Low said.

Low plans to expand into monitoring water quality and water temperatures, contaminants in fish and fish quality.

In Wrigley, a program is being developed to monitor the fishery that's used as a food source.

"They do quite a bit of fishing on the river," he said.

Other Deh Cho communities have more established programs. Fort Providence and Trout Lake's projects use both AAROM and the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy, another Fisheries and Oceans program.

Fort Providence is looking at anglers because of community concerns over the large numbers of visiting fishermen, said Low.

Kakisa is also currently focusing on interviewing anglers on the Kakisa River and monitoring the commercial fishery.

Put together, all of these projects are gathering important information that will help Dehcho First Nations become more involved in resource management decisions in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said Low.

Dehcho First Nations has done a lot of work on land use planning but aquatic resources have received less attention. AAROM is helping to address that, Low said.

Dehcho First Nations wanted to participate in AAROM because everything the organization has been doing relates to protecting the region's watersheds, said Ria Letcher, the executive director for the First Nations.

"Water has been the center of all the work, all the land withdrawals, all of the conservation initiatives," Letcher said.

In the interim, before Dehcho First Nations concludes the Dehcho Process, AAROM gives the ability to train members, test freshwater resources and establish a presence in resource management, Letcher said.