Fish Forever Project

Project Fish Forever is a collaborative effort involving TRACE Lab, the Water Quality Centre, the Onakawana Education Fund, and McGill University’s Yargeau Lab. It aims to engage both settler and Indigenous communities across Canada in monitoring polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in fish. The project seeks to establish fish monitoring and surveillance hubs nationwide, initially focusing on PFAS and later extending to other contaminants of concern. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all Canadians can safely fish for sustenance and recreation without concerns about consuming contaminated fish. The two-year pilot program includes the creation of sampling hubs in collaboration with Salmon Coast Research Station on the West Coast, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Michipicoten First Nation in the Great Lakes, and Camp Onakwana in the James Bay Lowlands. The research aims to deepen our understanding of PFAS in fish, particularly in regions where fish hold cultural and subsistence significance.