How will research shift when communities are the ones shaping it from the start? MEOPAR’s Community-Led Research (CLR) Seed Fund helps start the process of relationship building, research co-design, and capacity development in ocean-connected communities across Canada.
This year, we are excited to announce recipients of the 2026 CLR Seed Fund. The selected projects reflect a remarkable diversity of priorities: from youth‑centered planning for the future of the Bay of Fundy, to Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives, to eelgrass restoration, seaweed innovation, community-designed monitoring programs and new models of ethical data governance.
We invite you to read the summaries below and learn more about the inspiring initiatives taking shape through this year’s CLR Seed Fund.
Ocean Matriarchs
Led by: Preparing our Home
Ocean Matriarchs focuses on restoring access to ocean‑derived food security, cultural practices, and skills development for urban Indigenous single mothers and their children. Through workshops, shared learning with Elders, and the creation of a resilience hub, participants will gain training in food preservation, ocean conservation, and emergency preparedness.
Building Climate Resilience in Whale Cove through Community Led Research
Led by: Kelsey Crouse, Arctic Eider Society
This project expands the Frontline Worker Program, run by the Issatik Hunter and Trappers Organization (HTO), keeping polar bears and communities safe through patrols. Working alongside the Issatik HTO, WWF‑Canada and the Arctic Eider Society, the initiative will support longer patrol seasons, deepen documentation of polar bears near town and expand monitoring to track ecosystem‑level changes year‑round.
Challenges and Opportunities for Seaweed Development Through Community Engagement in the Îles de la Madeleine
Led by: Flora Salvo, Merinov
This project explores how seaweed, an underused local resource in the Îles de la Madeleine, could support food autonomy, sustainable innovation and community resilience. Through meetings with businesses, community organizations, fishers, aquaculture practitioners, and the municipality, followed by a collaborative workshop, the team will identify local needs and opportunities.
Youth led Bay of Fundy Futures
Led by: Suchinta Arif, University of New Brunswick, CPAWS
The Youth-led Bay of Fundy Futures initiative brings youth voices from diverse backgrounds to the forefront of planning for the Bay of Fundy’s proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. During a 2-day workshop, youth participants will map causal pathways toward those futures, highlighting the social and ecological drivers of change required to get to their desired futures. By leveraging youth voices, this program will build capacity for the next generation of marine stewards in Atlantic Canada.
The Carrefour Coop of the Acadian community on Lamèque Island, New Brunswick, as a symbol of collective territorial development in Eastern Canada
Led by: Anne Fauré, Université du Québec à Rimouski and Paul Lanteigne, Carrefour Coop
This project examines how Lamèque Island’s long-standing cooperative movement supports coastal resilience, sustainable resource management, and community-led development. By working with the Carrefour Coop, the research will highlight how collective governance helps protect local livelihoods and strengthen the island’s capacity to navigate environmental and economic change.
Community led Committee on Research and Commercial Fisheries Development in Gjoa Haven NU
Led by: Anthony Anguttitauruq, Gjoa Haven Hunters and Trappers Association
This project establishes a diverse committee in Gjoa Haven to guide and oversee marine research and commercial fisheries in ways that reflect Inuit knowledge, community values and long-term priorities. Through training, protocol development and a shared action plan, the committee will strengthen local capacity to coordinate research, steward marine resources and access emerging blue economy opportunities. By placing decision-making in the hands of residents, the initiative will build readiness, accountability and meaningful pathways into ocean-related work.
Sapujiyiit Society Strategic Research Planning Workshop
Led by: Chelsi McNeill-Jewer, Foxe Basin Kivalliq North Sapujiyiit Guardians of the Sea Society
This project brings the Sapujiyiit board and executive team together for an in-person strategic planning meeting facilitated by an Inuit consultant. This meeting will provide a structured roadmap for the organization, enhance Inuit participation in research and stewardship, and position Sapujiyiit to lead long-term, culturally grounded environmental and community development efforts in the Foxe Basin.
Untangling the Impacts and Opportunities of Ghost Gear for Nova Scotia’s Indigenous Communities
Led by: Nina Lantinga, Nets for Net Zero and Natalie Gilson, Pisces
This project focuses on conducting a community-led needs assessment with Indigenous fishing communities in Nova Scotia to address the challenges of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Through listening sessions, workshops and interviews grounded in culturally safe practices, the work will document local knowledge, identify barriers and opportunities, and map the resources communities need to lead gear cleanup. The findings will build trust, strengthen Indigenous leadership in the blue economy, and guide future policy, funding and collaboration.
Eelgrass Restoration Pilot in ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla o qui aht) Nation Traditional Territory
Led by: Mandala Smulders, Redd Fish Restoration Society and Saya Masso, ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ First Nation
This collaboration between Redd Fish and DFO supports a ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) First Nation-led eelgrass restoration pilot in the hiłsyaqƛis (Tranquil Creek) estuary. The project invests in knowledge sharing, building community capacity for future restoration, and strengthening relationships that support long‑term stewardship of salmon habitat and shoreline ecosystems. Guided by ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ leadership, the pilot will restore a culturally and ecologically significant area while creating lasting opportunities for learning and climate resilience.
CURRENT: Community Understanding of Rivers for Resilient Ecosystems in Nunatsiavut
Led by: Susan Ziegler, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Building on the foundations of the Inuit-led Sea Ice Observers Program and community-based fjord research, this project expands community-led monitoring in Nunatsiavut into the coastal rivers that are central to local ecology and Inuit livelihoods. These efforts will lay the groundwork for a long-term, resilient program that supports Labrador Inuit priorities across river, ice and marine systems.
Laying the collaborative foundation to study the fjord ecology of Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territories
Led by: Midori Nicolson, Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Fisheries Group Society and Emma Atkinson, Simon Fraser University
This project plans a long‑term research program on the fjord ecology of Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territories, following the recent phase‑out of salmon farms. By spending dedicated time in the territory, the project team will review current research, identify shared priorities and develop a funding strategy that reflects the vision of the four culturally connected nations represented by the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Fisheries Group Society.
Atshuk Project: Showcasing Innu Knowledge About Seals in Ekuanitshit
Led by: Bernard Lafontaine, Centre Napeu Ekuanitshit and Roxane Lavoie, Université Laval
This project documents, shares and celebrates Innu knowledge related to seal harvesting in Ekuanitshit (Côte-Nord, Québec), strengthening culture, food resilience and community connection. A multi-day event for Innu youth will be organized that demonstrates the harvest, preparation and traditional uses of seal, as well as a workshop to bring together potential partners to discuss community priorities.
Lobster Pathways
Led by: Sara Mccafferty, Esgenoôpetitj First Nation Fisheries Science Department
This project strengthens community-led research capacity in Esgenoôpetitj First Nation by bringing fishers, Elders, youth, Fishery Guardians and researchers together to co-design future lobster research and monitoring. Through community engagement circles, knowledge-sharing and collaborative workshops, the project will ensure Indigenous Knowledge guides the development of a long-term Lobster research initiative.
Facilitating land access and supporting knowledge transfer to advance Dungeness crab work in Kitasoo Xai’xais territory
Led by: Ellyn Davidson and Kyle Wilson, Simon Fraser University
This project builds on a partnership between Simon Fraser University (SFU), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and the Kitasoo Xai’xais Stewardship Authority (KXSA). The initiative aims to strengthen community connections to Dungeness crab while addressing concerns about their decline. Through community engagement and the development of an ecological study on crab movement and habitat use in Mussel Inlet, an important fjord estuary within Kitasoo Xai’xais territory, the project will advance understanding of crab ecology while supporting knowledge-sharing and building local capacity for crab monitoring.
The Secret Lives of Seaweed
Led by: Elizabeth Sheehan, Hornby Island Educational Society
Through respectful engagement with local Elders, Guardians and educators, and by establishing a community-led biodiversity monitoring plot, this projectbraids Indigenous and scientific knowledge to support long-term seaweed stewardship. Further, it will train community members in citizen science methods and specimen preparation, strengthening local capacity, and creating valuable data for researchers and the public.
Shipping and Ocean Conservation Integration (SOC I)
Led by: Charlene Seward, Clear Seas
This project advances research co‑design within Clear Seas’ Shipping and Ocean Conservation Integration (SOC-I) program by working directly with the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council and its ten member Nations to define community-led research priorities. Through in‑person meetings, workshops and support from a Community Research Liaison, the project team will translate early concerns about shipping and ocean conservation into scoped, fundable, Nation‑driven project plans.
Promoting ecosystem based management of marine environments through the co-development of community projects aimed at establishing a model for macro algae harvesting in Gaspésie
Led by: Morgane Massenez, ACPG Innovation and Samantha Bois, Coopérative des Capitaines Propriétaires de la Gaspésie
This project brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to advance the sustainable professional harvest of macroalgae in the Gaspésie region. Led by ACPG Innovation, the initiative will foster collaboration among scientists, policymakers, Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers, and environmental organizations to identify community-driven research needs, strengthen knowledge sharing, and develop proposals for ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning for seaweed harvesting.
Living With Grizzlies: Wuikinuxv Led Crabapple and Salmon Stewardship
Led by: Richard Sparrow, Grizzly Bear Foundation
This project aims to strengthen ecological and cultural stewardship in Kilbella Bay by focusing on crabapple orchards and salmon habitats, two systems deeply connected to ocean health and grizzly bears as a cultural keystone species. Indigenous leadership will be supported with community-driven research to advance food sovereignty, climate resilience, and governance.
Sargassum Ecosystem Assessment (SEA) Network
Led by: Sarah Cook, SeaChange Marine Conservation Society
This project seeks to build a collaborative research network on Japanese Wireweed (Sargassum muticum) in B.C.’s nearshore ecosystem. Guided by knowledge sharing sessions with First Nations, local conservation groups, and other interested parties, small-scale research initiatives will be developed and piloted to help understand the impact of Japanese Wireweed in BC.
Two Eyed Data Stewardship: Mi’kmaw Knowledge Sovereignty and American Eel Pilot
Led by: Alannah Williams, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq
This project enables the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq and its Department of Aquatic Resources & Fisheries Management to create a community-owned framework for ethical data and knowledge stewardship. Activities include co-design workshops with Elders and youth, integrating existing eel data into a secure local platform, and training community members to manage and analyze their own knowledge. The result will be a living knowledge system that strengthens stewardship, supports long-term research partnerships and can be adapted by other Indigenous Nations.
Advancing Indigenous Led Innovation in the Ocean Sector
Led by: Paul Langdon, Ulnooweg Development Group and Melissa Weber, Pisces
This project seeks to ensure Indigenous entrepreneurs, businesses and communities in Atlantic Canada are positioned as leaders by identifying ways to support Indigenous-led planning, capacity, development, and innovation. By bringing together Indigenous leadership, industry partners, and mission-aligned organizations, this project seeks to foster collaboration that reflects community priorities, builds local capacity, and drives systemic change.
Coastal permafrost degradation and land access: how can we target erosion hotspots
Led by: David Didier, Université du Québec à Rimouski
This project aims to support the development of a research collective in Kugluktuk, bridges various expertise, to study the effects of coastal permafrost degradation on ATV trails and routes along the coast near Kugluktuk, NU. Community members will be hired to install and maintain research instruments required to obtain the data necessary to produce a quantitative analysis of community trail exposure under increasing ocean and terrestrial environmental pressures.
Indigenous Seaweed Cultivation: Supporting the Sustainable Blue Economy through Innovation
Led by: Lucie Beaulieu, Université Laval and Joëlle Nadeau, AGHAMW
This project supports the Mi’gmaq and Wolastoqey Fishery Management Association in advancing Indigenous‑led seaweed aquaculture at the Pasbébiac site in Gaspésie, building on recent work to improve cultivation techniques, processing and marketing. Through a partnership with Laval University, the team will assess the nutritional value of co‑cultivated seaweeds, explore potential health benefits, and deliver a knowledge‑sharing workshop to guide future research and community priorities. The initiative will help strengthen a sustainable, innovative, and inclusive blue economy by grounding seaweed development in science, culture, and community leadership.
Developing institutional economic development capacity for regenerative mariculture (DéCIDÉMaR)
Led by: David Bourdages and Geneviève Labillois, MRC Avignon
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of the MRC Avignon to support economic adaptation to climate change through the development of marine aquaculture in the Bay of Chaleur. The initiative will support the development of a collaborative roadmap for regenerative mariculture, while building local expertise and identifying priorities for applied research and regional economic development.
Kelp gardening: Co designing research to support climate resilient kelp forests
Led by: Anne Salomon, Simon Fraser University and Káníɫkás Desiree Lawson, Haíɫzaqv Climate Action
This project supports researchers from the Haíɫzaqv Climate Action team and Simon Fraser University, to co-design a kelp gardening experiment with Haíɫzaqv Y’mas hereditary leaders, marine managers, knowledge holders, and kelp harvesters. Through a series of on–line and in-person conversations and site visits, it will advance their understanding of the Nation’s kelp-climate research needs to support culturally informed, climate-resilient caretaking practices of wild kelps within Haíɫzaqv territory.
Reducing underwater noise from fishing boats to reduce the impact on marine mammals
Led by: Amanda Quiros and Véronic Audet, Agence Mamu Innu Kakussesht
This project works with Indigenous fishing communities to reduce underwater noise from small commercial vessels and lessen impacts on marine mammals. By coordinating a steering committee, conducting acoustic assessments on local fishing boats and co‑developing long‑term mitigation strategies, the project will build local research capacity and support sustainable marine management.
