Environmental Exposure in the Restigouche River

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of dioxin and furan exposure on wild Atlantic salmon, a traditional Mi’gmaq food, found along the Restigouche River. The Restigouche River flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec and is world-renowned for its salmon. Among the First Nation communities that directly participated in the project were the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation (Listuguj, Quebec), Eel River Bar First Nation (Eel River Bar, New Brunswick), and Pabineau First Nation (Pabineau, New Brunswick). Since the creation of the Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council (GMRC), community members have expressed their concerns about the possible impacts of industrial activity along the Bay of Chaleurs on their food resources. The Restigouche River flows into this bay.

Throughout the month of June, salmon fishermen were directly approached at selected fishing sites to obtain 30 salmon from the Restigouche River. In addition to measuring the levels of contaminants in the salmon samples, this study also examined how potential concerns about the presence of contaminants may have affected the diet and lifestyles of community members. A research methods consultant and her assistant visited the communities and gathered health information, through questionnaires and interviews, to determine the salmon consumption habits of members of the Listuguj, Eel River Bar, and Pabineau First Nations respectively.

Information on the results and conclusion was insufficient.