The app, called the Gigiigoo'inaan "Our Fish" App, provides personalized recommendations for eating fish from Lakes Huron, Michigan, Superior, from inland lakes in northern Michigan and northern Minnesota and store-bought fish. It tailors recommendations based on a user's age, gender, size and phase of life as well as the portion of fish and the waterway it comes from.
Pollutants in the environment such as mercury can get into the food chain and into fish, then into people who eat those fish. Tribal governments, tribal natural resources groups and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issue guidelines for eating fish from local certain water bodies.
Tribal members retained the right to hunt, fish and gather food on ceded territories in the Upper Midwest on land in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Contaminants in the environment can jeopardize the health of those food resources. The app has information on the territory in northern Michigan and a portion of the Upper Peninsula ceded by tribes in 1836.
"Fish are more than just a healthy food source for the Anishinaabe," the council said in a press release Thursday. "Cherished fishing traditions are threatened by environmental risks."
The app was designed by representatives from five tribes — Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
The "Our Fish" app provides culturally tailored advice to help Anishinaabe people choose species of fish and waterways with lower levels of toxins. The information supports safe consumption of fish for people of all races, the council said.
The app also provides recipes and information about fish species. It does not collect users' personal information.
The council tested the app in Michigan tribal communities in 2019 and again last year. People who used it told the council they felt more confident in their fish choices, increased their fish consumption and had a better understanding of environmental health issues.
The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan is a nonprofit that represents the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan. The council worked with The Medical College of Wisconsin to develop the app.
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