Subsistence Use and Knowledge of Beaufort Salmon Populations

Courtney CarothersAssistant Professor of Fisheries

School of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks

Background

• Observations and catches of Pacific salmon increasing in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea communities [Kassam (2001), Luton (1985), and George et al. (2007)]

– Directed Chinook fishery in Barrow, inc. since 2003• Presence of Pacific salmon and small

subsistence catches (pink, chum) recorded for over a century[Maguire 1988 [1852-54]; Murdoch 1891 [1884]; Stefansson 1913]

• Recent shifts related to climate change?• Document local knowledge about these shifts

North Slope Communities

Pink Salmon Amaqtuuq

• Along w/ chum salmon only documented salmon species spawning in Arctic coast streams

• Ikpikpaq and Itkillik Rivers likely spawning sites [George et al. 2007]

• Pinks taken in subsistence fishery in Elson Lagoon

• Sometimes confused w/ chum or coho (v. rare) salmon

Chum Salmon Iqalugruaq

• Found in coastal waters in Arctic Alaska

• Spawn in Qaqulik and Utuqqaq Rivers near Pt Lay and Colville and possibly Ikpikpak River [George et al. 2007]

• Chum often mistaken for coho (silver); bright silvery appearance of sea-run chum

• Since late 1980s, 20+ salmon nets in Elson Lagoon

Chinook Salmon Iqalugruaq

• Same Inupiat name as chum– Reflects recent occurrence? Relative

unimportance?

• Spawning population reported by Kugrua River (Peard Bay) [George et al. 2007]

Sockeye Salmon Inupiat Name?

• Rare in North Slope waters• Number appear to be increasing on

North Slope

Project Objectives

• Establish strong rapport with local community residents and regional experts.

• Document the current subsistence use of Beaufort Sea salmon populations in Barrow, Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik or Atqasuk.

• Document the local and traditional ecological knowledge of historic and recent trends in salmon use, abundance, and distribution.

Project Objectives

• Provide a description of the Inupiat context for ecological observations and appropriate uses of such knowledge.– How is knowledge of salmon shifts related to

knowledge about changing ocean, coastal, river, lake, habitat, and climatic conditions.

• Use spatial and ethnographic data to identify steams and coastal areas where salmon have been harvested or observed.

Theoretical Frame• Traditional ecological knowledge

– TEK is a cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationships of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment (Berkes 1993)

– TEK also encompasses linguistic analyses of indigenous classification systems and perceptions of place (Basso 1996)

– TEK, thus, is a combination of the cosmological, linguistic, sociological, and ritual connections to the environment (Hunn 1999)

Methods

• Literature review– Comprehensive annotated bibliography on

salmon use and knowledge in Beaufort Sea region

• Ethnographic research– Barrow, Nuiqsut, Atqasuk/Kaktovik; local field

assistants– Purposive snowball sampling– Semi-structured interviews

• Recent trends in salmon distribution, subsistence and other uses, and potential spawning activity

– Participatory mapping [Laurer & Aswani 2008; Kuznar & Werner 2001]

Methods

• Collaborative research design – ADFG & NSB

• Exploring an Emerging Subsistence Salmon Fishery in Three Chukchi Sea Communities: Point Hope, Point Lay, and Wainwright (Sverre Pedersen and Jim Simon)– Share protocol, expand range and context of

observations/changes– More extensive project: genetic stock

identification, quantification of household harvest

Pedersen & Simon

• Compatible Methodology – Past/present annual timing of subsistence

fisheries– Relative abundance through time– Historical knowledge of salmon fisheries,

abundance, run-timing for each spp, gear-types and fishing practices

– Map areas where fishing takes place, observations of spawning, over-wintering habitat

– Changes in subsistence fisheries over last 5-10 years

Pedersen & Simon

• Additional components– Household survey

• Participation, amount caught, gear used, timing, location, time allocated

– Genetic analysis

Data Analysis

• Interview transcriptions will be coded and analyzed with Atlas.ti.

• Dominant themes related to subsistence use and knowledge of salmon populations will be summarized in a synthesis report, manuscript

• Geographic data collected during participatory mapping exercises will be summarized on a master map. GIS software analysis if warranted.

• Regional comparison – Chukchi communities, Kotzebue Sound

Current Progress

• Preliminary field visit June 2009– Process of introduction, relationship

building, and formal permissions

• Literature review and annotations – Shelley Woods

• Summer-Fall 2010 – Ethnographic interviews, mapping

• Winter 2011 – Data analysis, follow-up visits