The socio-ecological system of razor clams and the Quinault Indian Nation: modeling the potential impacts of ocean change on a steadfast fishery
Presentation Abstract
On the outer coast of Washington state, cultural values and traditional lifestyles are closely entwined with the marine resources affected by ocean change. Our research explores how ongoing ocean change may challenge the social-ecological system surrounding the Quinault Indian Nation’s razor clam harvest. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Quinault tribal members, scientists, and resource managers to generate a conceptual model of the social-ecological system, which we use to 1) understand the emergent effects of changes in availability of razor clams and 2) explore how the tribal community might prepare for or adapt to these impacts. We find that razor clams are a staple food and key income source for the Quinault people due to their high abundance, low cost to harvest, and long season of availability relative to other natural resources. Low-income families experience disproportionate economic impacts during razor clam harvest closures, but less tangible social and cultural impacts are felt broadly throughout the community. Although razor clams have been abundant and safe for harvest in many recent years, the Quinault perceive many threats to the resource, including climate change, harmful algal blooms, pollution, and habitat damage. We will extend our initial conceptual model using formal analysis of interview responses, supplemented with expert interviews of western scientists, to craft a Bayesian belief network of the Quinault-razor clam system. This will enable the exploration of qualitative connections between ocean change, razor clam availability and community-level variables such as indigenous health and well-being, income, and social network composition. Uncertainty around human responses will be incorporated to the extent possible. This work is an ongoing effort from graduate students in natural resource policy and fisheries science as part of the IGERT Program on Ocean Change at the University of Washington.
Session Title
Climate Change and Culturally Important Foods, Resources, and Places in the Salish Ecosystem
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Razor clams--Effect of habitat modification on--Washington (State); Quinault Indian Nation--Economic conditions--21st century; Marine ecosystem health--Washington (State)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Washington (State)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The socio-ecological system of razor clams and the Quinault Indian Nation: modeling the potential impacts of ocean change on a steadfast fishery
2016SSEC
On the outer coast of Washington state, cultural values and traditional lifestyles are closely entwined with the marine resources affected by ocean change. Our research explores how ongoing ocean change may challenge the social-ecological system surrounding the Quinault Indian Nation’s razor clam harvest. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Quinault tribal members, scientists, and resource managers to generate a conceptual model of the social-ecological system, which we use to 1) understand the emergent effects of changes in availability of razor clams and 2) explore how the tribal community might prepare for or adapt to these impacts. We find that razor clams are a staple food and key income source for the Quinault people due to their high abundance, low cost to harvest, and long season of availability relative to other natural resources. Low-income families experience disproportionate economic impacts during razor clam harvest closures, but less tangible social and cultural impacts are felt broadly throughout the community. Although razor clams have been abundant and safe for harvest in many recent years, the Quinault perceive many threats to the resource, including climate change, harmful algal blooms, pollution, and habitat damage. We will extend our initial conceptual model using formal analysis of interview responses, supplemented with expert interviews of western scientists, to craft a Bayesian belief network of the Quinault-razor clam system. This will enable the exploration of qualitative connections between ocean change, razor clam availability and community-level variables such as indigenous health and well-being, income, and social network composition. Uncertainty around human responses will be incorporated to the extent possible. This work is an ongoing effort from graduate students in natural resource policy and fisheries science as part of the IGERT Program on Ocean Change at the University of Washington.
Comments
Please note that all coauthors are listed in alphabetical order.