Indigenous Distribution and Management of Marine Resources

从2003年到2006年，我们开展了一项实地研究计划，重点是环太平洋和北极地区海洋资源的土著分布和管理。我们的研究成果可以概括为以下三点。(1)一般来说，对某一海洋资源的巨大商业需求往往会导致过度捕捞。特别是，海参、鱼翅等特种海产品在下列情况下可能被当地捕捞者捕捞殆尽：（a）国际市场对资源的需求，（B）与资源有关的信息和运输手段的发展，（c）经纪人或中间分销商的参与，对市场趋势有敏锐的观察力，（d）缺乏法律的收获条例，（e）有效的收获技术，和/或（f）在某一地方社会中，资源价值低或利用不足。(2)消费和分享当地生产的“真实的食物”，如鲑鱼、白鲸、驯鹿等，对土著人民具有重要的社会文化意义，因为这些做法有助于在社区内重新建立社会特性和关系。尽管如此，对当地重要海洋资源的巨大需求可能会导致资源枯竭，这是由于人口压力增加、有效捕捞和运输手段的发展和/或世界观的变化，如对动物灵魂传统信仰的恐惧或尊重的丧失。因此，土著人对资源的利用并不总是确保其可持续利用。(3)To建立有效的海洋资源管理制度，我们应该设计一种可持续利用资源的管理制度，以确保当地生产者的经济稳定。同时，在系统建设中还应考虑到特定资源的分配系统。

From 2003 to 2006, we carried out a program of field research focused on indigenous distribution and management of marine resources in the Circum-Pacific and Arctic regions. Our research results can be summarized in the following three points. (1) Generally, a great commercial demand for a given marine resource tends to lead to its over-harvesting. In particular, specialized marine products such as trepang, shark-fin, etc are possibly depleted by local harvesters under the following conditions: (a) international market demand for the resource, (b) development of information and transportation means connected to it, (c) participations of brokers or intermediary distributors with a keen eye for market trends, (d) the absence of legal harvest regulations, (e) efficient harvesting technologies, and/or (f) low-value or under-utilization of the resource in a given local society. (2) The consuming and sharing of locally produced "real food" such as salmon, beluga whale, caribou, etc. is socio-culturally important for indigenous people because these practices contribute to reproducing social identity and relationships in the community. Still, a great demand for a locally important marine resource may result in resource depletion due to increased population pressure, development of efficient harvesting and transportation means, and/or change in a world view such as loss of fear of or respect for traditional belief in animal souls. Thus, indigenous use of a resource does not always assure its sustainable use. (3)To establish an effective management system of marine resources, we should devise a management system for sustainable resource use in such a way that economic stability of its local producers is assured. Also, the distribution system of a given resource should be taken into account in the system construction.