Explore the Bras d'Or People and the Bras d'Or Ecosystem For thousands of years the Bras d'Or Lakes and Watershed have provided people with the necessities of life. The waters yielded salmon, gasperaux, cod, herring, flounder, eels, and oysters. The land provided fertile soils, good hunting grounds, timber and minerals. The enclosed waters allowed families, trade and commerce to move easily between settlements and communities.
	Before the arrival of European fur traders in the late 1600s, the native Mi'kmaq people migrated seasonally between the inland Lakes and the nearby ocean. This prevented over-use of local food supplies. The Lakes also provided an efficient transportation route for canoes, and, once covered by ice, for travel on foot. The Lakes were like a communication highway, carrying not only the people, but the sounds of their activities, from shore to shore.
Much of the economy of the Bras d'Or Lakes Watershed is built upon its natural resources. Some of these resources, like forests and gypsum, provide a year-round income, while others, like herring and lobster, are in danger of collapse. For decades, the lobster catch in the Lakes averaged 12-15 tonnes a year, but in 1999 the catch dropped to less than 5 tonnes. Although a four year recovery plan is in place, it is still uncertain if the population will recover.
	The Bras d'Or Preservation Foundation, established in 1993 under the Nova Scotia Conservation Easements Act, assists private landowners in conserving their lands for future generations. The Foundation fosters public appreciation of the unique qualities of the Lakes and its watershed, through public education initiatives such as the Bras d'Or Lakes Interpretive Centre, conferences and outreach programs.
For more detailed information on the Bras d'Or Lakes and the ecological challenges facing them or to learn how you can get involved locally, be sure to visit the Bras d'Or Lakes Interpretive Centre in the Village of Baddeck, Cape Breton.