The spring ‘hunt’
Preparing for a season aboard Achiever.
I find myself at my desk preparing for the upcoming season aboard Achiever. With spring around the corner, the season is fast approaching. Administrative planning alternates with boat maintenance – there is a lot of ground work before this year’s “hunting” expeditions begin.
Stuck in front of my computer, I am inundated with social media. Feeds from Facebook, articles from varying sources, and images on Instagram – all catered to my recent search history. Best prices on outboards and marine services top the ads, but also some trophy hunting targeted marketing.
The one that shakes me the most is what seems to be a push on so-called “conservation minded” trophy hunting. Images of trophy hunters roaming the planet, taking down increasingly threatened large carnivores, many under the guise of “conservation.”
Together with our coastal First Nations partners we’re working to end the commercial trophy hunt. Tweet This!
At Raincoast, my colleagues study coastal bears using non-invasive techniques. By analyzing DNA, isotopes and hormones in tufts of hair, we continue to learn about these bears and their relationship with salmon and people. These findings allow for a better understanding of grizzly and black bears, their use of natural habitats, and how we can help protect them.
This research doesn’t just benefit bears, it has applications for the coast’s ecology and economy. The tourism sector that engages in bear viewing notes a growing demand and employs a workforce that includes many local First Nations. The numbers supporting this industry show that a live bear is worth far more in revenue than a dead one.
When Achiever’s pre-season preparations are finished, her bow will point north and head up coast, where we will share the rivers and estuaries with the grizzlies and black bears that are the target of trophy hunters. Together with our coastal First Nations partners, Raincoast is not just studying these bears, but working to protect them by purchasing commercial trophy hunting tenures – a critical step in ending the trophy hunting of large carnivores in the Great Bear Rainforest.
You can help us with this effort by joining one of our “hunts” aboard Achiever.
Achiever trip dates
See our Achiever page for trip dates.
To book a place or for further enquiries email nick [at] raincoast [dot] org.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
