West Coast Tribes' Ocean Data Needs: Supporting Management and Adaptation

Native American tribes of the U.S. west coast are historic stewards and users of land, ocean and shoreline areas. Tribal use and management continues into the present day, now combining modern scientific data with Traditional Knowledge (TK) to sustainably maintain access to marine resources that are integral to their lives, cultures and economies. Uses of marine areas include hunting, fishing and gathering, for cultural, subsistence and economic support. All tribes with marine heritage have data needs of various types and frequency dependent on their level of engagement with the marine environment. In some areas of the U.S. west coast tribes are legal co-managers and owners of ocean resources in thousands of square miles of the Pacific Ocean and have the same needs for scientific data as federal and state managers.

Marine data needs for tribes include weather and climate, benthic mapping, habitat characterization, human uses, and physical, chemical and biological marine data. The West Coast Ocean Data Portal is a useful tool for tribes to access data for ocean management and to share tribal data that they deem appropriate. The West Coast Ocean Alliance rightfully includes tribal governments improving communication and coordination of tribal priorities with others both within and beyond their place-based areas of interest. Importantly, tribes and tribal rights are linked to place. Data used by the tribes for management and decision making is critical for adapting to the changing environment in those areas they have lived in for millennia and will continue to do so in the future.