New Brunswick's Oxbow Site and Augustine Mound (Designated National and Provincial Historic Sites)

Oxbow and other Red Bank archaeological sites tell us that our Metepenagiag ancestors fashioned their lives around the fishery. Fish was the principle food of warm weather months, fish was preserved for the winter and extra supplies of dried and smoked fish were used in trade. Although the smelt, stripped bass, shad, gaspereau, American eel, trout and tom cod all played a role in nurturing the community, the annual runs of Atlantic Salmon and Atlantic Sturgeon were critical to maintaining a healthy and vibrant population. Treated with respect and as gifts from the Creator, the fish stocks also flourished.

European contact brought many changes to the Mi'kmaq way of life. A new religion, attractive and useful trade items and devastating diseases were introduced. For the dwindling numbers of Mi'kmaq, competition for the fishery was entirely new. The European methods of taking fish were so different and the catches so great that within a short period the once plentiful fish stocks had declined. Our ancestors began suffering from lack of fish - a food item upon which they had relied for nearly 3000 years.

Today Red Bank's First Nation government takes a lead role in river conservation. We work in partnership with other agencies to preserve the Atlantic Salmon fishery. Box trap nets have replaced gill nets, spawning fish are released to continue their journey and children are taught conservation at home and in the classroom.

In May an annual trout derby welcomes hundreds of guests at Red Bank for a weekend of "hook and release" fishing. As friends and relatives gather to celebrate the arrival of spring and the bounty of the Miramichi, our people sense a renewed bond with our ancestors and amongst ourselves.