DIVISION OF SUBSISTENCE

Importance of Subsistence to Alaskan Residents

Meredith MarchioniSubsistence Resource SpecialistDivision of SubsistenceAlaska Department of Fish and Game

Division of Subsistence

• In 1978 the State of Alaska enacted the Alaska Subsistence Law recognizing the customary and traditional uses of resources.

• The Division of Subsistence was established to scientifically quantify harvests of wild resources by rural residents to determine the Amount Necessary for Subsistence (ANS) for each population or stock.

• Since its inception, over the past 30 years, the Division’s small staff has conducted research in 271 rural communities in Alaska.

• Seasonality of fishing, hunting, and gathering• Methods of harvesting and processing• Sharing of wild foods• Areas of harvest and use• Cultural, social, and economic values • Trends in resource use patterns• Resource issues that need resolution

Research Foci

Community Scoping Meeting

Community scoping meeting in Togiak, Bristol Bay

Train Local Research Assistants

Local researcher training in Noatak, Northwest Alaska

Research Methods:Subsistence Harvest Surveys and Mapping

A harvest survey Chignik Lake.

Research Methods: Participant Observation

Participating in subsistence salmon fisheries on the Alaska Peninsula and in southeast Alaska.

Research Methods: Key Respondent Interviews

Interviewing an elder in Nondalton, Bristol Bay

2012 Wild Resource Harvest Update for Alaska

Nutritional value of fish and wildlife harvests

Subsistence Lifestyle and Local Ecological Knowledge

Perceived causes for the decline in the chilkat chinook salmon population

• Fluctuations in climate and weather• Increased pressure from fisheries• Environmental disturbances from human impacts (e.g. boat traffic,

pollution, ecotourism, road maintenance, etc.)• Hatchery fish

The Future of Subsistence

Thank You

QUESTIONS?

For More InformationADF&G Websitewww.adfg.alaska.gov

Meredith MarchioniSubsistence Resource Specialistmeredith.marchioni@alaska.gov

Rosalie Grant, ADF&G & Jessica Gill, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, process herring roe on branches in Sitka Harbor, April 2013

Courtesy of the Sitka Sentinel & Associated Press

Salmon• 5 species• In terms of pounds of food, top

resource almost everywhere except Arctic

• Variety of harvest methods: gillnet, seine, fishwheel, hook & line

• Variety of preservation methods• Extended families cooperate to

harvest and process salmon at fish camps and villages

Other (Non-salmon) Fish

• Wide variety of marine (halibut, herring, cod, etc) and freshwater (whitefishes, trout, pike, etc)

• Total harvest ranks 2nd or 3rd after salmon

• Many harvest and preservation methods

Spring ice ice fishing, Nondalton, Bristol Bay

Marine Invertebrates

• Many species: clams, cockles, crabs, chitons, snails, octopus, etc.

• People of all ages participate in the harvest

Harvest of chitons (“bidarkies”), Ivanof Bay

Large Land Mammals

• Primary species = moose, caribou, deer; also bears, sheep, goat, muskoxen

• Total harvests generally rank 2nd or 3rd after salmon

• Generally hunted in fall and winter

A moose harvest at Chalkyitsik, Yukon River Flats

Small game and furbearers• Taken with snares, traps,

firearms• Some taken primarily for

their fur: wolf, wolverine, mink, otter

• Some are also used for food: beaver, muskrat

• Used for crafts and also sold

Lynx harvest, Emmonak

Marine mammals• Co-management under

the MMPA• Used in most coastal

Alaska Native communities

• Seals, sea lions, walrus, whales

• Meat, fat, & hides used

Harbor seal and sea lion oil rendered from fat, Akutan

Birds and eggs• Migratory birds & eggs; also

ptarmigan, grouse• Co-management under

Migratory Bird Treaty Act: Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council

• Subsistence spring and summer hunting authorized, 1997

Glaucous-winged gull egg harvest, Kodiak

Wild plants• Many varieties used• Used for food (primarily

berries, but others)• Medicinal uses• Used for fuel, crafts,

smoking fish, etc.

Valerie Engebretsen, Nondalton, Bristol Bay

Other Findings: Specialization

Talkeetna: 70% of lb taken by 21% of HHs

Skwentna: 70% of lb taken by 31% of HHs

Other Findings:Networks

Other Findings: Food Security

United States2009

(USDA)

Alaska2009

(USDA)

Aniak2009

(this study)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

87% 87% 89%

8% 8% 6%5% 5% 5%

B - FOOD SECURITY CATEGORIES

SECURE - high & marginal food security

INSECURE - low food security

INSECURE - very low food securityP

erc

en

tag

e o

f h

ou

se

ho

lds

Did not eat for a whole day

Lost weight, not enough food

Hungry but did not eat

Ate less than we felt we should

Cut size of meals or skipped meals

Food (store-bought) did not last

Food (subsistence) did not last

Food did not last, could not get more

Lacked resources to get food

Worried about having enough food

12

11

10

98

3.2

3.1

34

2

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

2%

6%

6%

10%

9%

17%

32%

14%

0.165354330708661

0.338582677165356

A - FOOD INSECURE CONDITIONS

Responses used to calculate households' food security category

Responses to additional questions asked in this study

Percentage of householdsreporting condition

Applications of study findings• Obligations at Board of

Game and Board of Fisheries• C&T Determinations• ANS Findings• Regulations that provide

reasonable opportunity• Obligations to Joint Board:

nonsubsistence area findings• Informing resource

development projects • Health impacts assessment• Other applicationsFilling the smokehouse with sockeye

salmon, Nondalton

Special Topics

• Wage employment supporting the mixed economy in rural Alaska.

• Current structure of commercial fisheries in Alaska: Supporting local economies

• The interdependence of commercial and subsistence fisheries: Successful fishing communities in Alaska