The early fishermen wove brush and vegetation among the weirs to make net-like fencing where the fish were guided to be speared, netted or kept for later use, particularly for consumption during the winter.

[1] The weirs – historically called ouentaronk (Huron) and tkaronto (Mohawk) – are believed to have provided the City of Toronto with its name, following a series of copy errors.

[6] Samuel de Champlain recorded their existence on September 1, 1615, when he passed the weirs with the Huron en route to the battle with the Iroquois on the south east side of Lake Ontario.

The Mnjikaning Fish Weirs was officially recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on 12 June 1982.

[7] It is managed by the Rama First Nation, who created the Mnjikaning Fish Fence Circle to protect and promote the site.