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Abstract

The Laurentian Great Lakes are among the most ecologically, culturally, and politically complex freshwater systems on Earth, shaped by millennia of Indigenous stewardship and disrupted via industrialization, colonization, and ecological degradation. Among the many species that have impacted this system, the invasive and parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus; ginebigomeg in Anishinaabemowin) has significantly altered the makeup both from a governance perspective as well as an ecological one. Since their introduction in the early 1900s, sea lamprey have catalyzed bi-national and multi-jurisdictional collaboration to control and suppress their populations. The sea lamprey control program, established in 1955, has proven to be an effective invasive species management program that suppresses sea lamprey populations through physical and regular chemical interventions. The foundation and continued operation of this program however has largely excluded First Nations and Tribes who territories encompass this region. This dissertation addresses this systematic omission through an Indigenous methodological framework grounded in Anishinaabe relationality, the understanding that all beings are interconnected and interdependent through reciprocal relationships and responsibilities. Using this methodological grounding, I examine and investigate Indigenous experiences with and perspectives of sea lamprey and their control through synthesizing the history of the sea lamprey control program with a particular focus on Indigenous participation and involvement, as well as interviews and a virtual gathering involving representatives of First Nations and Tribes partnering in this work. The findings reveal broad but conditional support for continued sea lamprey control. The contributors to this study recognize the ecological necessity of control but demand recognition of sovereignty and rights, consultation, and co-governance. I offer examples and a framework for achieving these needs and posit that through relational accountability, recognition of Indigenous knowledges, and shared stewardship, Great Lakes governance and the sea lamprey control program can shift toward a more just, inclusive, and resilient future.