The Acadian aboiteau system uses wooden spars or stones layered with sod and placed under the surface of the tidal waters to allow fresh water from the marshes to release into the ocean while prohibiting salt water from entering. In a similar fashion, the Mi’kmaq fishing weir is designed to be used in tidal areas, with stone or wood fence structures placed below the surface of the water in a ‘V’ shape to allow some fish to come in but limiting their ability to get out. The Acadian aboiteau system was developed in the 17^th century following Acadian settlement to what is now called Nova Scotia. There were two main towns which the Acadians built, named Port Royal and Grand-Pré. These areas reside next to tidal bodies of water on land traditionally owned by the Mi’kmaq people. Across their territories in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI), and the Gaspé Peninsula, the Mi’kmaq had been using weir fishing systems for thousands of years before the Acadians first came to North America in the 16^th century. Today, archaeological sites of Mi’kmaq fishing weirs have been found across all of these areas, and archaeological sites of Acadian aboiteaux systems have also been examined in Grand-Pré. Since the Acadians and Mi’kmaq people had long existing trade connections prior to the development of the aboiteau, it stands to reason that the Mi’kmaq use of tidal lands influenced the Acadian use of those same spaces, rather than the aboiteau being a creation of solely European decent.