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APPROVED: by Katie J. Moerlein Advisory Committee Chair Clfair A total environment of change: exploring social-ecological shifts in subsistence fisheries in Noatak and Selawik, Alaska Item Type Thesis Authors Moerlein, Katie J. Download date 08/10/2021 11:53:19 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/10937 A TOTAL ENVIRONMENT OF CHANGE: EXPLORING SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SHIFTS IN SUBSISTENCE FISHERIES IN NOATAK AND SELAWIK, ALASKA By Katie J. Moerlein RECOMMENDED: Advisory Committee Chair Clfair, Graduate Program in Fisheries Division APPROVED: Dean, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Date A TOTAL ENVIRONMENT OF CHANGE: EXPLORING SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SHIFTS IN SUBSISTENCE FISHERIES IN NOATAK AND SELAWIK, ALASKA A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE By Katie J. Moerlein, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2012 Ill Abstract Arctic ecosystems are undergoing rapid changes as a result of global climate change, with significant implications for the livelihoods of Arctic peoples. In this thesis, I use ethnographic research methods to detail prominent environmental changes observed and experienced over the past few decades and to document the impact of these changes on subsistence fishing practices in the Inupiaq communities of Noatak and Selawik in northwestern Alaska. Using in-depth key informant interviews, participant observation, and cultural consensus analysis, I explore local knowledge and perceptions of climate change and other pronounced changes facing the communities of Noatak and Selawik. I find consistent agreement about a range of perceived environmental changes affecting subsistence fisheries in this region, including lower river water levels, decreasing abundances of particular fish species, increasingly unpredictable weather conditions, and increasing presence of beaver, which affect local waterways and fisheries. These observations of environmental changes are not perceived as isolated phenomena, but are experienced in the context of accompanying social changes that are continually reshaping rural Alaska communities and subsistence economies. Consequently, in order to properly assess and understand the impacts of climate change on the subsistence practices in Arctic communities, we must also consider the total environment of change that is dramatically shaping the relationship between people, communities, and their surrounding environments. iv Table of Contents Page Signature Page........................................................................................................................... i Title Page...................................................................................................................................ii Abstract .....................................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................viii Chapter 1 Introduction: Arctic climate change and research approach ............................... 1 1.0 Arctic climate change and implications for northern communities ................... 1 1.1 Statement of research need ................................................................................. 3 1.2 Research context.................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Research objectives ..............................................................................................4 1.4. Traditional ecological knowledge research in the Arctic ...............................5 1.5 Organization of the thesis .................................................................................. 7 Chapter 2 Research methods and data analysis ....................................................................8 2.0 Ethnographic approach ....................................................................................... 8 2.1 Semi-structured interviews .................................................................................. 8 2.2 Qualitative data analysis................................................................................... 10 2.3 Participant observation ..................................................................................... 10 2.4 Cultural consensus analysis.............................................................................. 12 2.5 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 3 Noatak and Selawik: patterns of change and continuity .................................... 17 3.0 Introduction........................................................................................................ 17 3.1 Early peoples of Noatak and Selawik.............................................................. 19 3.2 Sustained contact and subsequent change .........................................................21 3.3 Contemporary subsistence patterns ................................................................... 26 Chapter 4 Observations of climate change and impacts on subsistence fishing ...............29 4.0 Introduction......................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Changes related to weather and physical conditions ....................................... 31 v 4.1.1 Timing of break-up and freeze-up ......................................................31 4.1.2 Changing weather conditions ............................................................ 34 4.1.3 Melting permafrost.............................................................................35 4.1.4 Water levels .........................................................................................35 4.2 Ecological changes and fish species ................................................................. 37 4.2.1 Fish abundance .................................................................................... 37 4.2.2 Fish movement .................................................................................... 40 4.2.3 Increasing beaver abundance ............................................................. 41 4.3 Impacts of changes on subsistence fishing and processing .............................43 4.3.1 Fishing access ..................................................................................... 43 4.3.2 Fish processing ................................................................................... 46 4.4 Adaptation............................................................................................................48 4.5 Summary..............................................................................................................48 Chapter 5 Climate change in the context of a total environment of change ................... 50 5.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 50 5.1 Shifting socioeconomic and cultural conditions ............................................. 51 5.1.1 “Easy life these days” .........................................................................52 5.1.2 Changing food preferences.................................................................53 5.1.3 Knowledge of younger generations................................................. 54 5.1.4 Changing technology ..........................................................................55 5.1.5 Economic challenges ..........................................................................56 5.1.6 Participation in the wage economy ....................................................57 5.2 Linking social-ecological transitions.................................................................57 5.2.1 Travel conditions .............................................................................. 59 5.2.2 Knowledge transfer .............................................................................60 5.2.3 Fish processing .................................................................................... 62 5.2.4 Conflicts between subsistence activities and wage economy 62 5.3 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 63 vi Chapter 6 Assessing agreement about observations and perceptions of climate change..65 6.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 65 6.1 Community specific analysis: N oatak.............................................................. 66 6.2 Community specific analysis: Selawik............................................................. 70 6.3 Combined analysis: Noatak and Selawik .......................................................... 76 6.4 Multidimensional scaling ................................................................................... 82 6.5 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 83 Chapter 7 Synthesis and future directions ...........................................................................86 7.0 Arctic communities and scientific inquiry: emerging collaborations 86 7.1 Synthesis...........................................................................................................
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