The morning mist still clung to the Credit River as I watched Mino Ode, a 16-year-old student from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, carefully release Atlantic salmon fry into the cool waters. Her hands, steady and purposeful, lowered a plastic container just beneath the surface, allowing dozens of tiny fish to swim free.
“My grandparents told me stories about these waters,” she explained, her voice quiet but firm. “They said salmon once ran so thick you could almost walk across the river on their backs. Then one day, they were gone.”
This watershed moment marked the culmination of a remarkable two-year initiative connecting urban Indigenous students with their cultural heritage through environmental stewardship. The Credit Valley Conservation Authority confirms this represents the largest youth-led Indigenous salmon restoration project in Ontario’s history.
Standing on the banks of the river that gives her nation its name, Mino represents a generation reclaiming both their cultural identity and environmental responsibility. “This isn’t just about putting fish back in the river,” she told me as other students from her school prepared to release their own containers of salmon. “It’s about healing relationships – with the land, the water, and our own histories.”
The Credit River Salmon Restoration Project emerged from a partnership between five First Nations communities, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Toronto District School Board. According to program coordinator James Nahwegahbow, the initiative now involves over 200 Indigenous students from 15 schools across the Greater Toronto Area.
“What makes this program unique is that it centers Indigenous knowledge and practice,” Nahwegahbow explained as we walked along the riverbank. “Students learn fish biology and environmental science, absolutely. But they also learn traditional ecological knowledge from elders and knowledge keepers who remember when these waters were healthy.”
The Atlantic salmon once thrived throughout Lake Ontario and its tributaries before disappearing entirely in the late 1800s. Historical records from early European settlers described remarkable salmon runs, but industrial pollution, dam construction, and overfishing led to their local extinction.
Lily McGregor, biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, says these youth-led efforts are showing promising results. “We’re seeing survival rates about 15% higher in the areas where these students have been doing habitat restoration alongside the fry releases,” she noted. “Their work removing invasive species and stabilizing riverbanks is creating microhabitats these young salmon need.”
Data from the Ministry shows Atlantic salmon are now successfully reproducing naturally in three Ontario tributaries for the first time in over 150 years. While full restoration remains years away, this represents a significant milestone.
For 17-year-old Jordan Beedahsiga from the Etobicoke School of the Arts, the project offered something he hadn’t found elsewhere in his education. “In most of my classes, being Indigenous feels separate from what we’re learning,” he told me during a break from checking water quality samples. “Here, my identity is central to the work. The science connects to our stories.”
The program’s approach is intentionally holistic. Students maintain classroom salmon tanks from egg to fry stage while learning both Western scientific concepts and traditional ecological knowledge. Elders visit classrooms regularly, sharing cultural stories about humans’ responsibility to water and other species.
“These students are challenging the false narrative that Indigenous people must choose between traditional knowledge and modern science,” explained Dr. Susan Hill, professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Toronto. “They’re demonstrating how these knowledge systems can work together to solve environmental challenges.”
The project hasn’t been without challenges. Initial community skepticism about working with government agencies had to be overcome through careful relationship building. Some landowners along the river initially expressed concerns about access issues, though most have become supporters after seeing the students’ dedication.
Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford visited the Credit River release site last month, calling the initiative “a model of reconciliation through environmental partnership.” The province recently announced $3.5 million in additional funding to expand the program to five more watersheds across southern Ontario.
Back on the riverbank, I noticed students had gathered in a circle before their final release of the day. Elder Josephine Mandamin, a respected water protector from Wiikwemkoong First Nation, led them in a water ceremony, offering tobacco and prayers for the salmon’s return.
“Water is life,” she reminded the students. “When you heal the water, you heal yourselves.”
As the ceremony concluded, 15-year-old Thomas Kewageshig shared his perspective: “My ancestors signed treaties promising we would share these lands and waters as relatives. This work feels like keeping that promise, even when others forgot.”
The impact extends beyond environmental restoration. Teachers report improved academic engagement, with 78% of participating students showing increased attendance and higher science grades since joining the program.
“These youth are reconnecting with cultural traditions while developing scientific skills that could lead to careers in environmental management,” said Nahwegahbow. “They’re becoming the next generation of land defenders and water protectors.”
As I prepared to leave, Mino Ode offered a final thought that captured the project’s significance: “Every salmon we release carries our stories back into these waters. They’re helping us remember who we are and what these rivers once were. That’s how healing begins.”
The salmon’s return, like the students’ reconnection with their heritage, represents a circle slowly being completed – proof that with persistence and care, what once seemed lost can find its way home again.
