Native Harvest Research Articles

Recent Marine Heatwaves Affect Marine Ecosystems from Plankton to Seabirds in the Northern Gulf of Alaska

Several decades of research and monitoring in the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) have revealed climate-related shifts in ocean temperature and salinity. Accompanying these shifts have been changes in the abundance and diversity of species, from single-celled plankton to fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Research is documenting long-term change in the region and revealing the mechanisms by which recent marine heatwaves affect the ability of higher trophic levels to survive in these waters. Heatwaves in the northern Gulf of Alaska are likely to become longer, more frequent, and more intense, making long-term monitoring of ecosystem changes critical to understanding and predicting effects on valuable commercial fisheries and culturally significant native harvesting. In addition, documentation of change is necessary for projecting regional and global future climate scenarios and for informing climate-​related policy decisions.

The Art of Hunting: Coordinating Subsistence Laws with Alaska Native Harvesting Practices

The Art of Hunting: Coordinating Subsistence Laws with Alaska Native Harvesting Practices

FISHY FISH? THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF ESCAPED FARMED FISH

The escape of cultured fish from a marine aquaculture facility is a type of biological invasion that may lead to a variety of potential ecological and economic effects on native fish. This article develops a general invasive species impact model to capture explicitly both the ecological and economic effects of invasive species, especially escaped farmed fish, on native populations and harvests. First, the possible effects of escaped farmed fish on the growth and stock size of a native fish are examined. Next, a bioeconomic model to analyze changes in yield, benefit distribution, and overall profitability is constructed. Different harvesting scenarios, such as commercial, recreational, and joint commercial and recreational fishing are explored. The model is illustrated by a case study of the interaction between native and farmed Atlantic salmon in Norway. The results suggest that both the harvest and profitability of a native fish stock may decline after an invasion, but the total profits from the harvest of both native and farmed stocks may increase or decrease, depending on the strength of the ecological and economic parameters.

Impacts of native forest harvesting on flows into the Murray–Darling Basin system

Recent drought in Australia has shown the importance of inflow into the Murray–Darling Basin from forested catchments in high-rainfall areas. Concern has been expressed that native forest logging could, by leading to regrowth forests, diminish this inflow. This reflects that at least one eucalypt community has a water use in which regrowth water yield is, for a given annual rainfall, less than that from ‘old-growth’ forest. Available data sets showing the relation between forest age, annual rainfall and water yield from forested catchments were used to select the best of four models of age-related water yield from forests. Commercial forests across the entire Murray Darling Basin were categorised by productivity and by location in rainfall bands. Using assumptions as to the distribution of age classes, the impact of native forest harvesting on water yields was compared with having all ‘old-growth’ in these forests. The results showed that for most of the Murray–Darling Basin, native forest logging would increase water yields by a small amount. Areas with potential for decreasing yield were the high-rainfall catchments of the Goulburn–Broken River, the Ovens–Kiewa River and the Upper Murray River. The results show that a cessation of harvesting would lead to a small decrease in flow before flows increased after about twenty years. Potential gains in water yield could be substantial but would take long periods to achieve and would be dependent on a lack of natural disturbance that could result in forest regeneration. The analysis showed that there is probably an optimal level of wood and water production, but the data are inadequate to determine that. There is a need for considerable work in forest hydrology if such questions are to be answered.

Modeling Forest Owner Harvesting Behaviour and Future Intentions in Tasmania

Our ability to design public policies that effectively promote the efficient use of privately owned forest resources is underpinned by an understanding of the way in which forest production and investment decisions are made, and of how forest owners respond to changes in social, economic, and institutional conditions. A model of non-industrial private forest owners (NIPF) past harvesting behaviour and future harvesting intentions using a logit approach is presented. A Tobit model, which investigates harvesting intensity, is also developed. The responses to a survey of 386 NIPF owners in Tasmania are used to construct the data set consisting of socio-economic characteristics of NIPF owners, their forest ownership objectives, and property characteristics. The current study is innovative in that the role of NIPF owner objectives and attitudes is assessed in three econometric models exploring past harvesting behaviour, harvesting intensity, and future harvesting intentions. A series of observations can be made from comparing the results of the three models. For example, higher pulp prices are unlikely to affect NIPF owners harvesting intentions but are likely to increase harvesting intensity. The financial characteristics of the NIPF owner contribute most to predicting future harvesting intentions, with financial security being a disincentive to future harvesting. Landowner objectives and attitudes are important in explaining past harvesting activities and future intentions but do not significantly affect harvesting intensity. Furthermore, there are significant differences between different types of landowners in terms of the incentives that are likely to make them change their mind about participating in native forest harvesting.

SUSTAINING A HEALTHY HUMAN–WALRUS RELATIONSHIP IN A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT: CHALLENGES FOR COMANAGEMENT

Native communities in the Bering and Chukchi seas have long relied on walrus for a multitude of nutritional, social, and cultural needs. Impacts to walrus in the past have resulted in profound consequences to these communities. For example, on St. Lawrence Island during the 1878-1880 "Great Famine" as many as 2000 people (> 90% of the island's population) starved after the walrus herds were decimated by Yankee whalers. Loss of walrus was further confounded by a wave of fatal contagion and difficult hunting conditions attributable to short-term climatic changes. Today, the ability of coastal hunters to access, harvest, transport, store, and utilize walrus is still affected by a dynamic suite of endogenous and exogenous factors, including ecological, social, economic, and political conditions. Impacts specifically as a result of changing climate will affect Native Alaskan hunters within the context of these diverse and sometimes global factors. The Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC) works within a comanagement agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to address these challenges. However, the EWC's goals may differ from the USFWS within the current comanagement and policy context. Whereas the USFWS is primarily interested in walrus population health (assessed through estimates of population size and native harvest), EWC is primarily interested in a broader scope, encompassing the health of the human-walrus relationship. New scientific tools associated with the study and management of linked human-ecological systems may provide a framework within which to address these goals. Here we present an overview of the challenges, needs, and research relating to climate change that are of interest to the EWC and in particular, the sustained health of the human-walrus relationship.

Long-term Interactions between Migratory Caribou, Wildfires and Nunavik Hunters Inferred from Tree Rings

Barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herds in North America may reach considerable size and undertake large-scale seasonal migrations from the Arctic tundra to the boreal forest. To test the caribou decline hypothesis associated with native harvesting and fire, we have documented the long-term trends of caribou activity based on a novel approach which uses tree-ring dated trampling scars produced by caribou hooves in the extensive trails distributed over the summer and winter ranges of the Rivièreaux-Feuilles herd (RAF herd, east of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec). The age structure data of trampling scars from lichen woodlands distributed over the entire RAF range confirmed the overall trends of caribou activity from the late 1700s to present time. Over the last 200 years, the RAF herd has undergone two highs in the late 1700s and 1900s separated by a moderate activity pattern in the late 1800s. Native harvesting was possibly involved in the early 1900s decline, although at a moderate level. The reduced magnitude of caribou activity during this period has not modified the natural cycle of highs and lows, which suggests that other demographic factors were controlling the changing caribou abundance. Our data also show that only exceptionally large fires may have a minor, short-lived impact on caribou migrations but not on caribou numbers.

AFLP Variation in Four Blue Grama Seed Sources

Blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths] is one of the most widespread native grasses in western North America. Several blue grama seed sources are currently used for rangeland seeding, but little is known about the genetic diversity of these seed sources. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was applied to compare the genetic diversity among four blue grama seed sources (a precultivar germplasm [balanced multisite composite, BMSC], the ecotype Bad River, a Minnesota ecotype, and a native Manitoba seed collection) and to assess the genetic shift during two generations of BMSC seed multiplication. Germplasm BMSC was a balanced multisite composite of 99 clones selected from 495 live plants collected from 11 sites across Manitoba. Six AFLP primer pairs were employed to screen a total of 176 individual plants sampled from both the first three generations of BMSC and the other three seed sources and 167 polymorphic AFLP bands were scored for each plant. Large AFLP variation was observed within the four seed sources. Greater AFLP variation was detected in the BMSC than Bad River, Minnesota ecotype, and the Manitoba native harvest. No genetic shift in the BMSC was found across the two seed multiplications. These results indicate a balanced composite of multisite blue grama germplasm can maintain high genetic diversity with little genetic shift in a few generations of seed multiplication.

Hunting‐Related Changes in Game Encounter Rates from 1994 to 2001 in the Mbaracayu Reserve, Paraguay

Abstract: This longitudinal study examines the impact of native hunting on the populations of 10 important game species in the Mbaracayu Reserve, Paraguay. From July 1994 to July 2001, native Ache research assistants surveyed 7,535 km of diurnal random transects in the reserve. Analyses of data from these transects and harvest‐ rate data from 5,526 Ache hunter days suggest that the hunting return rate declined significantly for one species. Nonsignificant declines were observed for 6 of the other 9 species. Native harvest percentages of the stock population appear sustainable for 10 major prey species, but rates of harvest from nonindigenous poaching could not be determined. Crude encounter rates for all 10 species declined over time, but only 2 of these were statistically significant in a univariate model. Multivariate logistic regression controlling for habitat type and location in the reserve showed significant declines in encounter rates over time for 4 species, but the effect of interaction between time and hunting pressure failed to confirm that declines in encounter rates were steeper in more‐hunted versus less‐hunted areas of the reserve. This may mean that other factors unrelated to hunting pressure are responsible for some of the declines in game encounter rates.

Trial Radio-tracking of Feather-tailed Gliders Acrobates pygmaeus

ALTHOUGH possibly one of Australia?s commonest gliders, little is known about the den requirements or home range size of the feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus. This is not surprising given the inherent difficulties involved in detecting these small gliders (Henry 1995, Ward 2000); head and body length 65 - 80 mm, tail length 70 - 80 mm, weight 10 - 14 g (Woodside 1995). Although aspects of the life history of this species have been studied (Ward 1990) some of the information that will assist the formulation of management strategies for conserving this species is lacking. Gibbons and Lindenmayer (1996, 1997) stressed the importance of considering all hollowdependent wildlife when devising management strategies pertinent to the protection of animal species during native forest harvesting. On the other hand, Goldingay and Kavanagh (1995) suggest that the habitat requirements of A. pygmaeus can probably be secured through management strategies developed to conserve other forest mammals.

Historical Abundance and Decline of Chinook Salmon in the Central Valley Region of California

Abstract The Central Valley drainage of California formerly produced immense numbers of chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Four seasonal runs occur in this system—fall, late-fall, winter, and spring runs. Differences in life history timing and spatial distribution enabled the four runs to use the drainage to the fullest possible extent and once made it one of the richest regions in the world for chinook salmon production. Native American fishers within the Central Valley drainage harvested chinook salmon at estimated levels that reached 8.5 million pounds or more annually. Native harvests, therefore, were roughly comparable to the peak commercial harvests taken later by Euro-American fishers, but whether or not native fishing depressed the productive capacities of the salmon populations to any substantial degree is not known. The commercial chinook salmon fishery in California started about 1850 in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta region, where it formed the nucleus of the firs...

Native forest harvesting in Australia: an ecological economics approach to the question

Summary One argument for ceasing native forest harvesting in Australia is that plantation forests can provide the wood fibre that society requires, allowing native forests to provide ecological goods and services. Using an ecological economics view of sustainability, an argument is presented for some harvesting of Australian native forest. The argument is that plantation forests require the use of non-renewable resources to be productive, while native forests are a potentially renewable resource. Ignoring renewable resources while depleting non-renewable resources will not contribute to a goal of sustainability. The real question then, should be how native forest harvesting can be sustainable and not whether harvesting should take place. A case study of the mountain ash forest of Victoria, Australia is used to illustrate the potential for sustainable timber harvesting from some native forest. The focus for such harvesting should be on sites, ecosystems and silvicultural practices that ensure regeneration, maintain site potential, and allow ecologically mature forests to develop.

Laying the foundation for a comprehensive program of restoration for wildlife habitat in a riparian floodplain

We analyzed the past and current distribution and abundance of vegetation and wildlife to develop a wildlife habitat restoration plan for the Sweetwater Regional Park, San Diego County, California. Overall, there has been a substantial loss of native amphibians and reptiles, including four amphibians, three lizards, and 11 snake species. The small-mammal community was depauperate and dominated by the exotic house mouse (Mus musculus) and the native western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis). It appeared that either house mice are exerting a negative influence on most native species or that they are responding positively to habitat degradation. There has apparently been a net loss of 13 mammal species, including nine insectivores and rodents, a rabbit, and three large mammals. Willow (Salix) cover and density and cottonwoods (Populus fremontii) had the highest number of positive correlations with bird abundance. There has been an overall net loss of 12 breeding bird species; this includes an absolute loss of 18 species and a gain of six species. A restoration plan is described that provides for creation and maintenance of willow riparian, riparian woodland, and coastal sage scrub vegetation types; guides for separation of human activities and wildlife habitats; and management of feral and exotic species of plants and animals.

The Bush Harvest in Pinehouse, Saskatchewan, Canada

Hunting, trapping, fishing and gathering provide an important source of food and fuel for the Cree-speaking Metis of Pinehouse on the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan. This paper reports the findings of a harvest survey based on one-year recall. The village's total harvest of fish, mammals, birds, berries, and fuelwood is documented by species from April 1983 through March 1984. Virtually all 145 adult male residents were interviewed. Respondents reported their harvest in units of their choice such as fish tub and truckload of fuelwood. Studies based on participant observation, monitoring programs involving short recall periods of a few days, and empirical measurement were done to determine conversion factors. These were used to translate harvesters' reporting units into numbers of animals by species (cords for fuelwood), and then to whole and edible weights. The total harvest was 84.5 tonnes of edible meat or 0.342 kg per day for each of the 676 residents. Three tonnes of berries and 682 cords of fuelwood were harvested. The village's gross income for the survey period is assessed and a dollar value assigned to the harvest. The bush harvest (income-in-kind and commodities) accounted for one-third of total village income, which contradicts the prevalent stereotype that resources from the land do not significantly contribute to the Pinehouse economy.Key words: native harvest survey, northern Saskatchewan Métis, subsistence harvests, domestic fisheries, subarctic village economy

Caribou in the changing North

In the 1950s, caribou ( Rangifer tarandus) populations were drastically declining across northern North America. At that time, wolf ( Canis lupus) predation, forest fires on winter ranges, and excessive native harvest were thought to be the primary causes of decline. In the early 1970s widespread oil and gas exploration in the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic and the discovery of a giant oil field at Prudhoe Bay again generated national and international interest in caribou and concern for their future welfare. The 1980s have witnessed expansion of most of the major caribou and wild reindeer herds throughout circumpolar areas, including the Central Arctic Herd near the Prudhoe Bay oil field. Behavioral reactions of caribou to oil development have included discontinued range use; avoidance of pipelines, roads, and other oil field structures by female caribou accompanied by calves; habituation to oil field structures and activities by adult males; delayed movements to and from insect-relief habitats; seasonal fracturing of a herd. Assessing the consequences for caribou of northern development is particularly difficult in contrast to other ungulates. The complexity of caribou ecological relations, involving traditional patterns of migratory movements, result in transitory dependence on several different ecosystems and special physiological and morphological adaptations that enable them to use a unique food resource. In addition, their complex social structure varies seasonally.

Uma Saami Native Harvest Data Derived from Royal Swedish Taxation Records 1557-1614

Royal tax records from 1557 to 1614 provide native harvest data for descriptive and quantitative analysis of the Saami (Lapp) reindeer hunting society in northern Sweden. The Saami made tax payments during the Scandinavian Late Middle Ages to Crown sheriffs in natural harvest products according to standardized equivalents. These natural goods were obtained in three areas of subsistence - hunting/trapping, fishing, and primitive reindeer husbandry, allowing for a graphic depiction of the economic performance of extended Saami families during this period prior to the adoption of modern reindeer herding. The native harvest, combine with enthnohistorical information, provides a model for reconstructing traditional circumpolar economies.Key words: Saami (Lapps), hunting economy, reindeer, taxation, Sweden, native harvest

The Fisheries of an Ojibwa Community in Northern Ontario

Subsistence fishing provides an important source of food for the remote Ojibwa community of Webequie, located along the Winisk River in northern Ontario. Field observations during the summer of 1988 were combined with a recall survey to estimate catches from October 1987 through September 1988. Of 133 potential fishermen, 90 were surveyed. The total community harvest was estimated to be 83,810 fish, round weight 108,210 kg. After adjustments, this provided 118 kg round weight/person/year, or 0.21 kg/person/day edible fish for consumption. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), northern pike (Esox lucius) and suckers (Catostomus commersoni and C. catostomus) were dominant in the catch. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fluvescens) attracts special fishing effort. Older males (>40 years old) are the primary fishermen. Fixed gill nets take 95% of the harvest, most of which is consumed. Commercial fishing seems to be disappearing. Recreational fishing is a potential source of revenue. Subsistence fishing tends to be overlooked in development and management schemes but is clearly an important activity.Key words: subsistence fishing, Ojibwa, native harvest survey, northern Ontario fisheries

Native Harvest Surveys and Statistics: A Critique of Their Construction and Use

Native harvest statistics are counts, or estimates, of the number of animals by category taken by a specific group of native people during a specific time period. These statistics are significant for basic research in the social and biological sciences, for public policy and for the resolution of environmental conflicts in the North. This paper reviews and assesses two common sources of native harvest data - administrative and monitoring records, and special-purpose studies - and provides an extensive bibliography for the latter. Native harvest data are normally obtained by recall survey rather than direct observation. The existing data base is therefore evaluated in terms of the methodological norms of social surveys, with particular attention to precision and uniformity of survey parameters and interview terminology, sampling procedures, non-response bias and response bias. Despite some lack of methodological rigour, especially regarding parameters, terminology and projection from reported harvests, it is concluded that the existing body of information may be used to recreate an historical statistical series of substantial breadth and depth, useful for both socio-economic and biological research purposes.Key words: native, Northwest Territories, wildlife, social surveys, methodology

Inuit harvesting levels of caribou in the Kitikmeot Region, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1982 — 1984

Information on the native harvest of caribou (Rangifer tarandus spp.) has been systematically collected in the Kitikmeot (Central Arctic) Region of the Northwest Territories since October 1982 through a cooperative effort between the Kitikmeot Hunters and Trappers Association and the Department of Renewable Resources. During the first 2 years of the study about 640 active hunters in 7 communities, or 20% of the Inuit population, were included. Local fieldworkers contacted an average of 80% of all hunters each month. The estimated regional harvest between October 1982 and September 1984 was 18 827±260 (SE) caribou. In the reported harvest (n=12 969), bulls dominated (54%) followed by cows (32%) and juveniles (<15 months old; 14%). The successful hunters harvested on the average 3.5 caribou/hunter/month. When extrapolated over the total Inuit population in the Region, the estimated caribou harvest was equivalent to an annual harvest of 3.1 caribou/person. This harvest level was relatively consistent between communities and years.

Preliminary Impacts of the James Bay Hydroelectric Project, Quebec, on Estuarine Fish and Fisheries

Flow alterations related to hydroelectric development have affected both the fish stocks and the Cree Indian subsistence fishery in the lower LaGrande River, northern Quebec. Evaluated against several years of baseline data, the initial biological impact of the project on fish populations, mostly whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and cisco (C. artedii) appeared to be relatively small. Nevertheless, fishing activity in the lower river and the estuary largely ceased from 1979 to 1981, due to physical modifications of traditional fishing areas and other social and economic effects related to the hydro project. Some fishermen modified their methods and continued harvesting in the affected area, but others abandoned the affected area and fished lakes and rivers along the recently constructed road network. It is concluded that earlier impact assessments fell short of predicting these impacts.Key words: environmental impact, social impact, hydroelectric projects, northern development, James Bay, northern Quebec, subsistence fisheries, native harvesting, Coregonus clupeaformis, Coregonus artedii