The locally harvestable foods indicator is intended to track the frequency of collecting different Puget Sound wild foods for traditional, subsistence, and recreational use. These include: fish, shellfish, mushrooms/plants, and animal meat.
Percentages of respondents who answered in each category, from 'Frequently (More than 10 times a season)' to 'Never', by question.
Key Indicator Results
The majority of Puget Sound residents do not harvest local foods. The mean response was 1.55, which equates to halfway between rarely (1-2 times per season) and never.
Fewer than 10% of people harvest deer, elk or waterfowl. Fewer than 35% of people harvest fish or shellfish.
Plants, berries and mushrooms are more likely to be harvested, with about 60% of the population collecting at least one time per season.
Respondents from western Puget Sound, particularly San Juan and Mason counties, tended to harvest local foods more frequently relative to those around them. Respondents from eastern Puget Sound, particularly King and Pierce counties, tended to harvest local foods less frequently than those around them.
While demographics could only explain a small portion of the variation in responses, respondents that were more likely to harvest local foods were male, older, had lived in the region longer, were from more rural areas, and had fewer years of education.