ABSTRACT
The research described here occurred over a three-year period (1994-1997) when I worked at Terra Nova National Park (see Figure 13.1) to explore conservation measures and related information needs for Bonavista Bay. Through the course of my research and employment with Parks Canada, I was invited to participate in small-boat fishing activities with local harvesters. I also facilitated a series of community meetings to discuss conservation measures. As a reaction to industry demands that government managers and conservation agencies acknowledge and incorporate local knowledge, I began organizing a GIS project to capture traditional fishing patterns. The
project evolved as a collaborative effort with input from several government agencies, a local fishermen’s committee, a GIS training programme and a software firm. Using digital topographic maps and newly collected hydrographic data, a prototype chart was customized for use in participatory mapping sessions where harvesters delineated fishing grounds, spatial management controls and local toponyms. Annotated charts were digitally rendered to produce composite maps that have since been used to help communicate fishing patterns.
