Askîy Community Fish Health Monitoring Program

Heading out fishing? We could use your help!

Gone fishing recently? Fill out our fish monitoring forms! By reporting on fish characteristics like vitality, flavour, and overall health, you can help us keep tabs on our provincial fish populations. We have streamlined our forms from three to two, so it’s faster than ever to tell us about your catch.

Fill out our Askîy Fish Measurement & Health Report and Askîy Palatability Report* for a chance to win a gift card.

*The fish palatability form is open year-round, and forms can be submitted for any water body in the province of Alberta.
This program is a part of our Askîy Initiative, our community-based environmental monitoring project. By submitting reports, you’ll provide us with the data we need to detect fish health and population changes in Alberta. Citizens have submitted over 1,800 forms to date, alerting us to concerns about declining fish populations, poor fish health, and changes in fish flavour.
Help us protect Alberta’s fish and their habitat by submitting your fish monitoring forms today.

Askîy Targeted Fish Health Monitoring Program

The Askîy Targeted Fish Health Monitoring Program was launched in 2021 by the Otipemisiwak Métis Government’s Environment and Climate Change (ECC) team to address Citizens’ concerns about declining fish health, abundance, and water quality. It was developed through the Community Fish Health Monitoring Program, and both programs are a part of our Askîy Initiative. As part of the Askîy Targeted Fish Health Monitoring Program, we collect health data from fish that live in lakes to help understand how water quality, pollution, and human activities can impact their health and availability.

Please read our ArcGIS StoryMap Reports below for more information!

FISH FILLETING WITH Métis HARVESTER KEITH GRANT

Follow along with experienced Métis harvester Keith Grant as he demonstrates how to process a white fish from start to finish, including scaling and filleting.

Reeled in a great catch recently? Don’t forget to fill out our fish monitoring forms! Your contributions help us better understand fish health across the Districts and protect your Section 35 rights.

2026 Askîy Guardians Gathering

This past January, Métis Citizens came together on Pigeon Lake for the Askîy Guardians Gathering, an ice fishing gathering rooted in learning and stewardship.

Guided by Métis harvesters and Environment and Climate Change (ECC) staff, participants took part in traditional harvesting, a gillnetting demonstration, and hands on learning about fish health.

Métis-led stewardship is at the heart of each Askîy Guardians Gathering, and as Citizens exchanged cultural knowledge, trained ECC staff and harvesters collected fish samples for mercury testing as part of our Targeted Fish Health Monitoring Program. This staff-led research initiative helps us better understand the health of species of concern and protect Alberta’s fish and waters.