Understanding local pig hunter values and practices as a means toward co-management of feral pigs (Sus scrofa; pua'a) in the Hawaiian Islands

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Ecology and Society 28(2): 32 htt.psf.l� sy/ar[32/ and surrendered lands; (3) natural area reserves; (4) restricted watersheds; (5) cooperative game management areas; (6) military training areas; (7) unencumbered state lands; (8) designated sanctuaries; and (9) other lands designated by the Board of Land and Natural Resources (DOFAW Hawaii Administrative Rules §13-123-2). Rules and regulations such as bag limits, hunting method, and permitted days to hunt vary among public hunting areas, depending on factors like proximity to residences, time of year, and other land uses. Hunters also access game species on private lands by owning private land, obtaining permission from private landowners, or creating formal agreements through hunting clubs. The exact number of hunting clubs and associations in the Hawaiian Islands is not known. Cattle ranches and large agricultural regions often have their own hunting access lists that are largely restricted to employees and family members of employees, or may have required fees and waivers to limit liability. Data collection We conducted semi -structured interviews with local pig hunters on the islands of Oahu and Maui who identified as "local' and/ or "Hawaiian," consistent with our intent to explore Indigenous and local knowledge regarding hunting in the Hawaiian Islands. Semi -structured interviews are usually conversational between the interviewer and interviewee and include several main open- ended questions to be explored (Longhurst 2003). Open-ended questions are valuable because they allow the interviewee to elaborate on a certain idea or topic, potentially revealing information that was not thought of as relevant to the interviewers (Britten 1999, Gill et al. 2008). We selected interview participants from this study primarily using the snowball sampling method, meaning that we spoke to one hunter, who referred us to another and so on, until saturation of information was reached (Noy 2008). To ensure a diverse interview pool, we also interviewed hunters from across the islands geographically for both Oahu and Maui, and contacted pig hunters through personal connections recommended by family and friends. With permission from participants, we audio recorded interviews to allow for transcription and coding. Interviews covered questions about hunter values and practices, preferred areas to hunt, issues with hunting and/or management, and recommendations to improve hunting and/or management. Questions were not asked in a specific order. Instead, we let the interviewees guide the interview and asked certain questions when it fit within the flow of the conversation, or for clarification. Data analysis Each interview recording was transcribed, and a memorandum was written that noted important comments and key takeaways discussed with the interviewee. We used MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2020 (qualitative data analysis software) for analyzing interviews. We took a grounded theory approach, where theories evolved during the research process with interplay between data analysis and data collection (Charmaz and Belgrave 2007). Other studies conducted in the Hawaiian Islands have used similar methodologies to help develop new policies for resource management (Montgomery and Vaughan 2018). We read through interview transcripts to identify main themes and interview codes based on our questions. Given that this article was aimed toward understanding Indigenous and local values as well as the cultural importance of pigs for the Hawaiian Islands, we acknowledge that two of the three authors from this study identify as Native Hawaiian (KKL, MBV). RESULTS Overview We conducted 30 semi -structured interviews with local pig hunters on the islands of Oahu and Maui (16 on Oahu and 14 on Maui) primarily in English. Twenty interviews were done in - person at locations that included the homes of participants, the University of Hawaii at Manoa Campus, and the personal residence of the lead author. Because of concerns following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 that shut down inter -island travel and required social distancing, we completed the remaining interviews by phone, or with social distancing protocols. The duration of interviews ranged from 30 to 90 minutes with an average duration of 58 minutes. We determined key background information regarding interviewees, including age group, place of residence (home zip code), preferred method of hunting, and ethnic group. For our analysis, we grouped results based on five main interview themes: (1) reasons for hunting; (2) Indigenous and local knowledge; (3) responsibilities and values of being a hunter and hunting; (4) current issues and concerns with hunting and/or management; and (5) recommendations to improve hunting and/or management. Demographics All participants were males. While women do hunt pigs in Hawaii, there are far fewer female pig hunters than males. Interview participants ranged in age from 21 to 77 years old, with a mean age of 42 years (Fig. 1). All participants were born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, with 21 of 30 participants identifying as Native Hawaiian (70%). Fig. 1. Age groups of participants (n = 30). Each age group ranges 10 years, except for the oldest age group, which was for participants age 58 years and older. Mean age of participants was 41.6 years old. Vi G Q U m a 6 E Z 10 18-27 28-37 38-47 48-57 >58 Age group (years)