School workshops on ringed seals and contaminants in Inuit Nunangat: bridging science and Inuit knowledge

This dataset includes content associated with three educational workshops about ringed seal health that were conducted since 2016 in Resolute (Nunavut), Sachs Harbour (NWT), and Arviat (Nunavut), where core monitoring of ringed seals takes place under the Northern Contaminants Program. Workshops were held in local schools with the objective of engaging students, elders, scientific researchers, school personnel, local hunters and trappers organizations, and northerners in learning about ringed seals from both Inuit knowledge and scientific perspectives. The workshops allowed Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) research scientists working on contaminants in ringed seals to share information about their work with northern students and other community members. They also provided an opportunity for Inuit elders to share their knowledge with students and researchers in seal ecology and traditional methods for butchering seals, preparing seal skin and identifying abnormalities in harvested game. The project aimed to identify best communication practices for contaminants research and inform the development of innovative methods of northern community engagement around contaminants monitoring in wildlife.