Request for Lobster Donations to Support Community Environmental Research 

Dear Harvester, 

The TRACE Lab at Trent University is working in partnership with the Migmawei Mawiomi Secretariat (MMS) on a research project focused on understanding environmental contaminants in traditional foods harvested throughout Gespe’gewa’gi territory. 

As part of this work, we are looking for donations of 15–25 whole lobsters from both the spring/summer and fall harvesting seasons. Donated lobsters will help us better understand the presence of contaminants in lobsters and provide information that is meaningful to communities. 

The donated lobsters will be analyzed at the TRACE Lab at Trent University for environmental contaminants. This research is being conducted to help answer community questions about the safety and health of traditional foods and to contribute to a broader understanding of environmental conditions across the territory. The findings will be shared back with communities through future community reports and presentations. 

If you are able to donate lobsters, we kindly ask that they: 

• Be whole and uncooked. 
• Be frozen as soon as possible after they have been harvested.
• Remain frozen until they can be shipped or delivered for analysis. 

Your donation will make an important contribution to community-led environmental research and help build knowledge that supports future generations and informed decision-making. 

If you have any questions or are interested in donating lobsters, please contact: 

Peter Vicaire, Migmawei Mawiomi Secretariat, pvicaire@migmawei.ca 

or 

Ruth Duncan, M.Sc. Candidate, TRACE Lab, Trent University, ruthduncan@trentu.ca 519-378-5794 

Thank you for considering this request and for supporting research that benefits Gespe’gewa’gi communities.