Individual hunters do not always act with the advice or approval of their band council. As well, since the Marshall decision, there is a widespread feeling among native communities that federal regulations on hunting and fishing are unjustified and invalid. In this uncertain climate, the bird populations could be at risk. We're going to have an economic incentive. It's not each resource being used for a moderate livelihood, but the collection of resources.
Migratory birds fit within that.
What we would see is a continuation of something that exists. There's exchange of birds within the community. Trade and barter, but not what I'd call commercialization. Commercial hunting, on the other hand, could affect populations of migratory birds like snow geese, he added. The original Migratory Birds Convention was signed between the United States and Canada in 1917, after the extinction of the passenger pigeon.