In September 2021, Dr. Megan Bailey (UBC alum and Associate Professor, Dalhousie University) spent time on board the “Mamma Ain’t Happy”, a Sipekne’katik-owned fishing vessel harvesting lobster under Food, Social, and Ceremonial tags. She was working with community members to record lobster data, notably, ‘tinkers’, ‘seeders’ and squishy lobster. How Dr. Bailey came to be on the boat, what is known and not known about lobster, and what doing science in support of rights-based fisheries can look like are all discussed. Events that unfolded in the fall of 2020, when Sipekne’katik launched their ‘moderate livelihood’ fishery will be reviewed. This presentation will be a reading of the first chapter from Dr. Bailey’s forthcoming book: Lobsters, livelihoods, and science in support of Treaty fisheries.
Key words: lobster, data, life-history, egg-bearing, soft-shell, conservation, Treaty rights, conservation.