Ths reminded me of yhe time I worked for the Nisqually, a coastal Indian tribe whose lives depended on a healthy Salmon population.
When the Salmon returned from the ocean to spawn they would fish the rivers and stock up for winter.
But instead of just catching as many Salmon as possible it was their custom to return the first catch back into the river, thereby insuring that at least some Salmon would make it throught to the spawning waters. This custom was to thank the river spirits for their abundance, but the practical result was conservation of the Salmon population and the continuation of the natural processes.
That was the simple wisdom of respect for nature and maintaining a balanced relationship with the environment.