Virginia Tech researcher awarded Great Lakes Fishery Commission grant for sea lamprey project
Assistant Professor Beth Nyboer and students study communication pathways between Indigenous groups and management authorities.
Beth Nyboer, an assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, was awarded a research contract as part of a multi-institutional project funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC). The project, "The Ginebigomeg Project: Indigenous Relationships with Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes," spans four years and runs through Dec. 31, 2028.
The Ginebigomeg Project is led collaboratively by researchers from multiple indigenous communities and academic institutions in Canada and the United States. Its primary goals are to enhance understanding of Indigenous relationships with sea lamprey and to support indigenous-led initiatives in sea lamprey research, management, and communication. Nyboer's role includes coordinating research activities, conducting fieldwork, mentoring a graduate student, and participating in dissemination efforts such as workshops, community events, and publications.
For the Virginia Tech portion of the project, the GLFC allocated a total of $108,850 over the duration of the award. Nyboer, incoming graduate student Isabella Badon and undergraduate Reid Pestana, all from the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, will focus on understanding how communication around sea lamprey management and control takes place between state-empowered authorities and Indigenous communities. Their goal is to identify communication practices and support systems that can foster stronger, more collaborative relationships.
This project also contributes to broader efforts by the GLFC to build inclusive research and management practices that center Indigenous partnerships in the Great Lakes region. It engages with key themes such as knowledge systems, communication frameworks, and collaborative pathways in sea lamprey control. Nyboer’s role focuses on research coordination among colonial government institutions and Indigenous communities, directly contributing to these goals.
Working out of the Batchewana First Nation Natural Resources Office near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, were researchers (from left): Juliana Lesage-Corbiere, environmental supervisor for Batchewana First Nations Natural Resources, Alex Duncan, Isabella Baden, and Reid Pestana.
