DNA analysis confirms 2,000-year-old sustainable fishing practices of Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Date:
November 13, 2021
Source:
Simon Fraser University
Summary:
Ancient Indigenous fishing practices can be used to inform
sustainable management and conservation today, according to a
new study. Working with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and using new
palaeogenetic analytical techniques, the results of a new study
provides strong evidence that prior to European colonization,
Coast Salish people were managing chum salmon by selectively
harvesting males.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Ancient Indigenous fishing practices can be used to inform sustainable management and conservation today, according to a new study from Simon
Fraser University.


========================================================================== Working with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and using new palaeogenetic
analytical techniques developed in SFU Archaeology's ancient DNA lab,
directed by professor Dongya Yang, the results of a new collaborative
study featured in Scientific Reports provides strong evidence that prior
to European colonization, Coast Salish people were managing chum salmon
by selectively harvesting males.

Selectively harvesting male salmon increases the overall size of the
harvest, as male salmon are bigger than female salmon. It also helps
ensure successful spawning as one male can mate with several females. This allows fisheries to maximize the size of their harvest without negatively impacting future returns.

"This management practice is also described in Coast Salish knowledge
and, through archaeology, we were able to extend the time depth of
this practice by 2,000 years," says Thomas Royle, a postdoctoral fellow
working in the lab.

The research team applied the new palaeogenetic methods to archaeological salmon vertebrae to identify the sex of each sample, finding evidence
to corroborate Coast Salish traditional knowledge that has been shared
for centuries.

The Tsleil-Waututh ancestors worked to keep salmon populations plentiful
for millennia, passing their knowledge on from one generation to the
next. With current declines and collapses in many commercial fisheries,
these traditional Tsleil-Waututh practices can potentially inform current management and conservation.

This research collaboration included the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (Michael
George, Michelle George), SFU (Thomas C.A. Royle, Hua Zhang, Miguel
Alcaide, Ryan Morin, Dongya Yang), University of British Columbia
(Jesse Morin, Camilla Speller, Morgan Ritchie), and McMaster University
(Aubrey Cannon) as part of a Tsleil-Waututh Nation project to establish
the state of pre-contact ecosystems in Burrard Inlet.

The leadership of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation was an integral piece
of the success of the collaboration and allowed cutting-edge science
methods to be used to understand the traditional ecological knowledge
of Tsleil-Waututh ancestors.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Simon_Fraser_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jesse Morin, Thomas C. A. Royle, Hua Zhang, Camilla Speller, Miguel
Alcaide, Ryan Morin, Morgan Ritchie, Aubrey Cannon, Michael George,
Michelle George, Dongya Yang. Indigenous sex-selective salmon
harvesting demonstrates pre-contact marine resource management
in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. Scientific Reports,
2021; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-021-00154-4 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211113072458.htm

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