Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy
Due to their tracking experience in pursuing Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus), Inuit hunters could provide non-invasive estimates of Polar Bear characteristics from tracks, and Polar Bear monitoring programs could benefit from Inuit input. We determined i) inter-rater reliability of estimates of the se...
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The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
2011
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Online Access: | https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 |
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ftjcfn:oai:canadianfieldnaturalist.ca:article/1197 2023-05-15T16:54:15+02:00 Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy Wong, P. B. Y. Van Coeverden de Groot, P. Fekken, C. Smith, H. Pagès, M. Boag, P. T. 2011-04-01 application/pdf https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 eng eng The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197/1190 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197 doi:10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 125 No. 2 (2011); 140-153 0008-3550 Polar Bear Ursus maritimus tracking traditional ecological knowledge interviews population characteristics non-invasive population monitoring nunavut info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2011 ftjcfn https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 2021-09-02T18:54:19Z Due to their tracking experience in pursuing Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus), Inuit hunters could provide non-invasive estimates of Polar Bear characteristics from tracks, and Polar Bear monitoring programs could benefit from Inuit input. We determined i) inter-rater reliability of estimates of the sex, age, and size of Polar Bears, and estimates of the age of tracks made by a group of nine Inuit hunters who interpreted 78 tracks; ii) we made preliminary comparisons of sex and size estimates with conventional (scientific) estimates; iii) we catalogued the Polar Bear hunting experience and track interpretation techniques of nine Inuit hunters; and iv) we explored relationships between hunting experience and the ability to interpret tracks. The group of Inuit hunters made reliable and consistent estimates of Polar Bear sex, age, and size, as well as estimates of age of track (after data from one participant was excluded). Although our comparisons are based on small samples, our findings suggest that Inuit hunters may be accurate in estimating the sex of Polar Bears (74.42% agreement with genetic determinations) and the size of Polar Bears from their tracks. Our data indicate shared tracking techniques used by hunters may explain high agreement in making specific estimates, while individual hunting experience and particular methods used to interpret tracks may lead to inter-rater reliability and accuracy in interpreting tracks. Article in Journal/Newspaper inuit Nunavut Ursus maritimus The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) Nunavut The Canadian Field-Naturalist 125 2 140 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal) |
op_collection_id |
ftjcfn |
language |
English |
topic |
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus tracking traditional ecological knowledge interviews population characteristics non-invasive population monitoring nunavut |
spellingShingle |
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus tracking traditional ecological knowledge interviews population characteristics non-invasive population monitoring nunavut Wong, P. B. Y. Van Coeverden de Groot, P. Fekken, C. Smith, H. Pagès, M. Boag, P. T. Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
topic_facet |
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus tracking traditional ecological knowledge interviews population characteristics non-invasive population monitoring nunavut |
description |
Due to their tracking experience in pursuing Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus), Inuit hunters could provide non-invasive estimates of Polar Bear characteristics from tracks, and Polar Bear monitoring programs could benefit from Inuit input. We determined i) inter-rater reliability of estimates of the sex, age, and size of Polar Bears, and estimates of the age of tracks made by a group of nine Inuit hunters who interpreted 78 tracks; ii) we made preliminary comparisons of sex and size estimates with conventional (scientific) estimates; iii) we catalogued the Polar Bear hunting experience and track interpretation techniques of nine Inuit hunters; and iv) we explored relationships between hunting experience and the ability to interpret tracks. The group of Inuit hunters made reliable and consistent estimates of Polar Bear sex, age, and size, as well as estimates of age of track (after data from one participant was excluded). Although our comparisons are based on small samples, our findings suggest that Inuit hunters may be accurate in estimating the sex of Polar Bears (74.42% agreement with genetic determinations) and the size of Polar Bears from their tracks. Our data indicate shared tracking techniques used by hunters may explain high agreement in making specific estimates, while individual hunting experience and particular methods used to interpret tracks may lead to inter-rater reliability and accuracy in interpreting tracks. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wong, P. B. Y. Van Coeverden de Groot, P. Fekken, C. Smith, H. Pagès, M. Boag, P. T. |
author_facet |
Wong, P. B. Y. Van Coeverden de Groot, P. Fekken, C. Smith, H. Pagès, M. Boag, P. T. |
author_sort |
Wong, P. B. Y. |
title |
Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
title_short |
Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
title_full |
Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
title_fullStr |
Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interpretations of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy |
title_sort |
interpretations of polar bear (ursus maritimus) tracks by inuit hunters: inter-rater reliability and inferences concerning accuracy |
publisher |
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197 https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 |
geographic |
Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Nunavut |
genre |
inuit Nunavut Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
inuit Nunavut Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Vol. 125 No. 2 (2011); 140-153 0008-3550 |
op_relation |
https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197/1190 https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1197 doi:10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v125i2.1197 |
container_title |
The Canadian Field-Naturalist |
container_volume |
125 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
140 |
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1766044890349699072 |