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Resource Utilization in Atka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
RESOURCEUTILIZATION IN ATKA, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA Douglas W. Veltre, Ph.D. and Mary J. Veltre, B.A. Technical Paper Number 88 Prepared for State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence Contract 83-0496 December 1983 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To the people of Atka, who have shared so much with us over the years, go our sincere thanks for making this report possible. A number of individuals gave generously of their time and knowledge, and the Atx^am Corporation and the Atka Village Council, who assisted us in many ways, deserve particular appreciation. Mr. Moses Dirks, an Aleut language specialist from Atka, kindly helped us with Atkan Aleut terminology and place names, and these contributions are noted throughout this report. Finally, thanks go to Dr. Linda Ellanna, Deputy Director of the Division of Subsistence, for her support for this project, and to her and other individuals who offered valuable comments on an earlier draft of this report. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . e . a . ii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION . e . 1 Purpose ........................ Research objectives .................. Research methods Discussion of rese~r~h*m~t~odoio~y .................... Organization of the report .............. 2 THE NATURAL SETTING . 10 Introduction ........... 10 Location, geog;aih;,' &d*&oio&’ ........... 10 Climate ........................ 16 Flora ......................... 22 Terrestrial fauna ................... 22 Marine fauna ..................... 23 Birds ......................... 31 Conclusions ...................... 32 3 LITERATURE REVIEW AND HISTORY OF RESEARCH ON ATKA . e . 37 Introduction ..................... 37 Netsvetov .............. ......... 37 Jochelson and HrdliEka ................ 38 Bank ....................... 39 Bergslind . 40 Veltre and'Vll;r;! .................................... 41 Taniisif. ....................... 41 Bilingual materials .................. 41 Conclusions ...................... 42 iii 4 OVERVIEW OF ALEUT RESOURCE UTILIZATION . 43 Introduction ............ -
Identifying Nesting Habitat of Kittlitz's
Kenney & Kaler: NestingShort habitat Notes of Kittlitz’s Murrelets 73 IDENTIFYING NESTING HABITAT OF KITTLITZ’S MURRELETS BRACHYRAMPHUS BREVIROSTRIS: OLD NESTS LEAD TO A NEW BREEDING RECORD LEAH A. KENNEY1 & ROBB S.A. KALER2 1Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK, USA ([email protected]) 2Migratory Bird Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USA Received 2 September 2012, accepted 27 December 2012 Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is one of the rarest Kittlitz’s Murrelets at Agattu Island (hereafter, Agattu). In 2009, the breeding seabirds in the North Pacific and one of the least known second year of the Agattu murrelet study, we revisited all previously in North America. With a patchy distribution in both Alaska and discovered nests and noted that several nest sites had increased the Russian Far East, the Kittlitz’s Murrelet population in Alaska plant cover compared with the surrounding area. Specifically, nest is estimated at 19 578 individuals (range 8 190–36 193; BirdLife scrapes where a murrelet chick survived for at least 10–15 days International 2012). Owing to its small population size, restricted contained dense mosses (Tetraplodon mnioides; a coprophilous moss distribution, and an apparent rapid population decline, the US Fish usually found growing on fecal materials and animal remains) and and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed Kittlitz’s Murrelet as grasses (Poaceae). Kittlitz’s Murrelet adults provision their young a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act with marine fishes at the nest scrape during the 24–40 day nestling (USFWS 2009). period (Day et al. 1999, Kaler et al. -
I :-:L Library & Information Services
!II•I ALEUTIAN CANADA GOOSE TRANSPLANT FROM BULDIR ISLAND TO AGATTU ISLAND, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA I SUHMER 1984 I by I FREDRIC G. DEINES I Key Words: Aleutian Canada Geese I Aleutian ~slands Rat Island Group Buldir Island Near Island Group I Agattu Island Transplanted gees~ .. Endangered Species I Distribution I I Restrictions: Internal Document - Not for Publication I U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS UNIT I ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE BOX 5251 NAS ADAK FPO SEATTLE, WA 98791-0009 I (ADAK, ALASKA) ARLIS Alaska Resources I :-:l Library & Information Services ,......c.o Anchorage, Alaska I ,......c.o SEPTEMBER 1, 1984 ~ 0 0 0 I LO LO,...... M I M AcgDisk l/Bul-Ag84 I I Executive Summary 1 I List of Expendit~~n Members 2 Acknowledg~ments 2 I Introduction 2 Methods and Materials 4 Capturing the Geese 4. .I Handling the Geese 5 I Results and Discussion 8 Recommendations 16 I Literature Cited 17 Appendix: Appendix A. 1984 Banding Schedules for Wild 18 I Aleutian Canada Geese Released on Agattu Island I. Appendix B. 1984 Incidental Weather, Bird, Mamal 23 and Plant Observations at Buldir I FIGURES: Figure 1: Map of Central and Western 5 I Aleutian Islands Figure 2: Backpack and Goose Cage Illustration 6 I Figure 3: 1984 Goose Release Site, Agattu Island 9 Figure 4: 1984 Goose Capture Sites, Buldir Island 12 I TABLES: Table 1: Goose Tubing Solution 6 I Table 2.: Results of Capture, Banding and Trans- 11 planting of Aleutian Canada Geese from I Buldir Island to Agattu Island, 1984 Table 3: Estimated Age of Goslings Capture 13 & 14 I After First Day and Color Banded Table 4: Geese Exhibiting Some Paralysis 15 at Time of Release ARLIS I Alaska Res:ources Library & Information Service~. -
Department of Commerce
Vol. 79 Tuesday, No. 126 July 1, 2014 Part V Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 679 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fisheries Off Alaska; Proposed Rules VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:44 Jun 30, 2014 Jkt 232001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\01JYP4.SGM 01JYP4 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS4 37486 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 126 / Tuesday, July 1, 2014 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Instructions: Comments sent by any [email protected] or fax to 202– other method, to any other address or 395–5806. National Oceanic and Atmospheric individual, or received after the end of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Administration the comment period, may not be Gretchen Harrington, 907–586–7228. considered by NMFS. All comments SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 50 CFR Part 679 received are a part of the public record manages groundfish fisheries in the and will generally be posted for public [Docket No. 140304195–4195–01] exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off viewing on www.regulations.gov Alaska under the Fishery Management RIN 0648–BE06 without change. All personal identifying Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea information (e.g., name, address), and Aleutian Islands Management Area Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic confidential business information, or (FMP). The North Pacific Fishery Zone Off Alaska; Steller Sea Lion otherwise sensitive information Management Council (Council) Protection Measures for the Bering submitted voluntarily by the sender will prepared the FMP under the authority of Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish be publicly accessible. -
Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment, Phase B – FINAL PROGRAM REPORT
PHASE B Final Program Report March 2016 Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC Pearson Consulting, LLC Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment, Phase B – FINAL PROGRAM REPORT Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment – PHASE B Final Program Report Submitted by: Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC Pearson Consulting, LLC March 2016 2 Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment, Phase B – FINAL PROGRAM REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Project Overview ................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Project Scope ........................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Transportation Research Board Recommendation ............................................... 5 1.4 Purpose of this Report .......................................................................................... 5 2. Phase A .................................................................................................................. 6 3. Phase B .................................................................................................................. 8 4. TecHnical Tasks and Outcomes ............................................................................... 9 4.1 Task 1-2: Optimal Response System .................................................................... -
Volume 40, Number 2 Fall 2013
PACIFIC SEABIRDS A Publication of the Pacific Seabird Group Volume 40, Number 2 Fall 2013 PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP Dedicated to the Study and Conservation of Pacific Seabirds and Their Environment The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) was formed in 1972 due to the need for better communication among Pacific seabird researchers. PSG provides a forum for the research activities of its members, promotes the conservation of seabirds, and informs members and the public of issues relating to Pacific Ocean seabirds and their environment. PSG members include research scientists, conservation professionals, and members of the public from all parts of the Pacific Ocean. The group also welcomes seabird professionals and enthusiasts in other parts of the world. PSG holds annual meetings at which scientific papers and symposia are presented; abstracts for meetings are published on our web site. The group is active in promoting conservation of seabirds, including seabird/fisheries interactions, monitoring of seabird populations, seabird restoration following oil spills, establishment of seabird sanctuaries, and endangered species. Policy statements are issued on conservation issues of critical importance. PSG’s journals are Pacific Seabirds (formerly the PSG Bulletin) and Marine Ornithology. Other publications include symposium volumes and technical reports; these are listed near the back of this issue. PSG is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Ornithological Council, and the American Bird Conservancy. Annual dues for membership are $30 (individual and family); $24 (student, undergraduate and graduate); and $900 (Life Membership, payable in five $180 installments). Dues are payable to the Treasurer; see the PSG web site, or the Membership Order Form next to inside back cover. -
Informing the Eradication of Invasive Species on Islands
DATA MATTERS Informing the Eradication of Invasive Species on Islands north america and the arctic region DATA MATTERS Informing the Eradication of Invasive Species on Islands north america and the arctic region May 2018 contributors Dena Spatz, Nick Holmes, Heath Packard, Gregg Howald, Chad Hanson, & Island Conservation Staff Report by Island Conservation for the National Invasive Species Council Secretariat Deliverable for contract number d17px00181 Recommended citation: Island Conservation (2018) Data matters: informing the eradication of invasive species on islands: North America and the Arctic region. Contractor’s Report 2018-1. National Invasive Species Council Secretariat, Washington, DC Cover photo credits: Puffin (left): Flickr/RoryCB| Black-legged kittiwake: Josh Keaton, NOAA/NMFS/AKRO/SFD | Murre: Josh Kea- ton, NOAA/NMFS/AKRO/SFD |Shipping vessel: Jamie K. Reaser, NISC | Brown rat: Flickr/Jean-Jacques Boujot Version: May 22, 2018 Executive Summary ntroduced, invasive (harmful) species are a key threat to native species on islands in North America and the Arctic. For many islands in these Iregions, conservation action is possible, including the eradication of invasive vertebrates to stop harmful impacts to, and aid recovery of, threatened native spe- cies and habitats. Effective conservation prioritization and planning for such actions is limited by a lack of island-specific data on native and invasive species, as well as interoperability of existing datasets to make existing data uniformly comparable. To improve the knowledge base for well-informed decision-making, Island Conservation was contracted by the National Invasive Species Council (nisc) Secretariat to help advance the 2016–2018 nisc Management Plan Actions 2.5, 2.6, and 3.2. -
Appendix V Invasive Species in Alaska Vertebrates
INVASIVE SPECIES AND SEABIRDS APPENDIX V INVASIVE SPECIES IN ALASKA VERTEBRATES ARCTIC FOX (VULPES LAGOPUS) AND RED FOX (VULPES VULPES) Both arctic and red foxes are native to mainland Alaska and occur naturally on some but not all Alaskan islands. Between 1750 and the 1930s, foxes, primarily the Arctic fox, were introduced intentionally to more than 450 other Alaskan islands to be hunted for the fur trade. On islands where there were abundant bird and sea mammal populations, the foxes were left to roam free. Ground and burrow- nesting seabirds such as Storm Petrels Oceanodroma( spp.), Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus), and Tufted PuffinFratercula ( cirrhata;) including their chicks and eggs were especially vulnerable to fox predation. Without thriving bird populations to fertilize the ecosystem, plant productivity and the populations of the rest of the ecosystem also declined. Efforts to eradicate foxes from the islands to which they were introduced began in 1949. ATLANTIC SALMON (SALMO SALAR) Atlantic salmon are native to coastal drainages in eastern North America from northern Quebec, Canada, to Connecticut, USA, and inland to Lake Ontario. They are also native to Europe. Atlantic salmon are raised in fish farming operations along the coasts of Washington and British Columbia, and escaped fish began showing up in Alaskan streams starting in 1998. This species could potentially compete with native salmon and trout species for spawning and rearing habitat. Atlantic salmonids (young salmon) are also more aggressive than Pacific salmon such as sockeye Oncorhynchus( nerka) and could out-compete native salmon species for food resources if this species successfully spawns in Alaska. -
THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: THEIR PEOPLE and NATURAL HISTORY
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION WAR BACKGROUND STUDIES NUMBER TWENTY-ONE THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: THEIR PEOPLE and NATURAL HISTORY (With Keys for the Identification of the Birds and Plants) By HENRY B. COLLINS, JR. AUSTIN H. CLARK EGBERT H. WALKER (Publication 3775) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION FEBRUARY 5, 1945 BALTIMORE, MB., U„ 8. A. CONTENTS Page The Islands and Their People, by Henry B. Collins, Jr 1 Introduction 1 Description 3 Geology 6 Discovery and early history 7 Ethnic relationships of the Aleuts 17 The Aleutian land-bridge theory 19 Ethnology 20 Animal Life of the Aleutian Islands, by Austin H. Clark 31 General considerations 31 Birds 32 Mammals 48 Fishes 54 Sea invertebrates 58 Land invertebrates 60 Plants of the Aleutian Islands, by Egbert H. Walker 63 Introduction 63 Principal plant associations 64 Plants of special interest or usefulness 68 The marine algae or seaweeds 70 Bibliography 72 Appendix A. List of mammals 75 B. List of birds 77 C. Keys to the birds 81 D. Systematic list of plants 96 E. Keys to the more common plants 110 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES Page 1. Kiska Volcano 1 2. Upper, Aerial view of Unimak Island 4 Lower, Aerial view of Akun Head, Akun Island, Krenitzin group 4 3. Upper, U. S. Navy submarine docking at Dutch Harbor 4 Lower, Village of Unalaska 4 4. Upper, Aerial view of Cathedral Rocks, Unalaska Island 4 Lower, Naval air transport plane photographed against peaks of the Islands of Four Mountains 4 5. Upper, Mountain peaks of Kagamil and Uliaga Islands, Four Mountains group 4 Lower, Mount Cleveland, Chuginadak Island, Four Mountains group .. -
Historical Timeline for Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Historical Timeline Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Much of the refuge has been protected as a national wildlife refuge for over a century, and we recognize that refuge lands are the ancestral homelands of Alaska Native people. Development of sophisticated tools and the abundance of coastal and marine wildlife have made it possible for people to thrive here for thousands of years. So many facets of Alaska’s history happened on the lands and waters of the Alaska Maritime Refuge that the Refuge seems like a time-capsule story of the state and the conservation of island wildlife: • Pre 1800s – The first people come to the islands, the Russian voyages of discovery, the beginnings of the fur trade, first rats and fox introduced to islands, Steller sea cow goes extinct. • 1800s – Whaling, America buys Alaska, growth of the fox fur industry, beginnings of the refuge. • 1900 to 1945 – Wildlife Refuge System is born and more land put in the refuge, wildlife protection increases through treaties and legislation, World War II rolls over the refuge, rats and foxes spread to more islands. The Aleutian Islands WWII National Monument designation recognizes some of these significant events and places. • 1945 to the present – Cold War bases built on refuge, nuclear bombs on Amchitka, refuge expands and protections increase, Aleutian goose brought back from near extinction, marine mammals in trouble. Refuge History - Pre - 1800 A World without People Volcanoes push up from the sea. Ocean levels fluctuate. Animals arrive and adapt to dynamic marine conditions as they find niches along the forming continent’s miles of coastline. -
UAF Aurora Article (Spring 2012)
Journey of the Seal Stone By Theresa Bakker A photograph cannot do it justice, but that is all it took to alert military looking to protect its frontier. Roads and landing strips archaeologist Allison McLain that she was on to something big. were carved out of the earth, exposing items that were picked up A forwarded email from the UA Museum of the North asked her by soldiers and taken home. The stone was discovered when the what she knew about the petroglyphs carved in the seal stone, a owners, who had purchased it at an antique store in the 1950s 200-pound boulder in California. and used it as a lawn ornament, wanted to sell it, preferably to someone in Alaska. That is when Debbie Corbett got involved. She is the regional “My first thought was, ‘Wow.’ But I couldn’t place them.” She started comparing the stone to the archaeological record. “It looks similar to pieces collected in Attu a hundred years ago. Those images of human figures and eyes and geometric Guthrie. Mareca by photos UAF designs are carved onto sea mammal mandibles and jawbones. They are very unusual.” So was this stone. In a century of archaeological work and surveys on the Aleutian Islands, only one other example of petroglyphs has been found. In 2002, biologists conducting a sea lion count on archaeologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Agattu Island, southwest of Shemya, took photos of petroglyphs “Artifacts are deeply compelling to almost everyone. An artifact they came across, but there has been no formal investigation is a tangible link to our past. -
Stock Assessment of BSAI Atka Mackerel
17. Assessment of the Atka mackerel stock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Sandra Lowe, James Ianelli, Wayne Palsson, and Ben Fissel Executive Summary Relative to the November 2018 SAFE report, the following substantive changes have been made in the assessment of Atka mackerel. Summary of Changes in Assessment Input 1. The 2018 catch estimate was updated, and estimated total catch for 2019 was set equal to the TAC (57,951 t). 2. Estimated 2020 and 2021 catches are 59,300 t and 54,700 t, respectively. 3. The 2018 fishery age composition data were added. 4. The 2018 Aleutian Islands survey age composition were added. 5. The estimated average selectivity for 2014-2018 was used for projections. 6. We assume that approximately 85% of the BSAI-wide ABC is likely to be taken under the revised Steller Sea Lion Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (SSL RPAs) implemented in 2015. This percentage was applied to the 2020 and 2021 maximum permissible ABCs, and those reduced amounts were assumed to be caught in order to estimate the 2020 and 2021 ABCs and OFL values. 7. As in 2018, the sample sizes specified for fishery age composition data were rescaled to have the same means as in the original baseline model (100), but varied relative to the number of hauls for the fishery. The 2018 data were added. Summary of Changes in the Assessment Methodology There were no changes in the model configuration. Summary of Results 1. The addition of the 2018 fishery age composition information impacted the estimated magnitude of the 2011 year class which decreased 2%, relative to last year’s assessment, and the magnitude of the 2012 and 2013 year classes which increased 10 and 12% respectively, relative to last year assessment.