Ocean Cultures & Wild Cultivation Part 2: Northwest Coast Ecosystems And Indigenous Management Systems

Most North American Indigenous Peoples, have been described as “Hunter-Gatherers,” with the implication that they simply randomly harvested food sources – from salmon and clams to berries, and greens – available to them from the wild. Increasingly, it is recognized that First Peoples have developed sophisticated techniques and approaches to sustaining and enhancing their food resources and the habitats in which they are found. As my interview with Dr. Nancy Turner, Professor Emerita at the University of Victoria, BC, continues, she will pick up with where we left off last episode on Indigenous resource management practices, with some key examples including transplanting fish, fish traps, seaweed harvesting, herring roe harvesting, estuarine root vegetables, seabird eggs, and clam gardens and discuss their importance, both in the past and at present. These management practices and associated knowledge have excellent potential for application in ecological restoration, food production, permaculture, and biodiversity conservation.