Copper River Subsistence Evaluation 2000 and Traditional Knowledge
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Patterns and Trends in the Subsistence Salmon Fishery of the Upper Copper River, Alaska by William E. Simeone and James A. Fall Division of Subsistence Alaska Department of Fish and Game In collaboration with Copper River Native Association Cheesh’Na Tribal Council Chitina Tribal Council Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agreement No. 7018101296 Project No. FIS 00-40 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence 333 Raspberry Road Anchorage, Alaska 99518 August 2003 ADA PUBLICATIONS STATEMENT The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates all of its public programs and activities free from discrimination on the basis of sex, color, race, religion, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. For information on alternative formats available for this and other department publications, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907-465-4120, (TDD) 1-800-478- 3548 or (fax) 907-586-6595. Any person who believes she or he has been discriminated against should write to: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, PO Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802-5526; or, O.E.O., U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240. CONTENTS Chapter I Introduction................................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Report...............................................................................................7 Data Sources ...........................................................................................................9 Chapter II Historical Overview of the Upper Copper River Subsistence Fishery...................12 The Ahtna Salmon Fishery.................................................................................12 The Early Commercial Salmon Fishery .............................................................14 The Opening of the Copper River Basin............................................................17 The Beginning of the Modern Chitina Dip Net Fishery.....................................23 The Subsistence Fishery Since 1960: Regulatory Overview .............................28 The Subsistence Fishery in the 1960s ................................................................32 The 1970s and Early 1980s ................................................................................38 The Separation of the Personal Use Fishery from the Subsistence Fishery, 1984 ...................................................................47 The McDowell Decision, Federal Fisheries Management and Participation and Harvest Trends since 1989 ..............................................53 Composition of the Subsistence Harvests ..........................................................60 Subsistence Harvest Locations...........................................................................65 Summary ............................................................................................................73 Chapter III Results of a Survey Conducted in 2000 Among Participants in the Copper River Subsistence Fishery.........................................................................76 Survey Findings..................................................................................................77 Survey Summary and Discussion.....................................................................100 References Cited ....................................................................................................................103 Appendix A: Survey Instrument ............................................................................................109 Appendix B: Respondent Comments from the Survey..........................................................110 Appendix C: Notes on 2000 Copper River Survey Sample...................................................114 i LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1. Population of the Copper Basin, Adjacent (Road-connected) Areas, Alaska..........3 Table 2-1 Traditional Ahtna Fishing Sites .............................................................................13 Table 2-2. Significant Events and Dates, Copper River Subsistence Fishery.........................15 Table 2-3. Subsistence Salmon Harvests, Upper Copper River, 1921....................................19 Table 2-4. The Upper Copper river Subsistence Fishery, 1955 ..............................................20 Table 2-5. The Upper Copper River Subsistence Fish Wheel Fishery, 1958 .........................22 Table 2-6. Key Changes to State Regulations and Other Actions...........................................29 Table 2-7. Number of Permits Issued and Estimated Harvest, Copper River Subsistence Fishery................................................................................................34 Table 2-8. Residence of Upper Copper River Subsistence Permittees, 1969-2001................43 Table 2-9. Fish Wheel Locations, Copper River Subsistence Fishery, 1955-1996.................45 Table 2-10.Summary of Information Presented to the Board of Fisheries about Characteristics of Upper Copper River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries, February 1984…………………………………………………………………49-51 Table 2-11 Estimated Subsistence Harvest by Area of Residence, Upper Copper River, 1984-2001............................................................................58 Table 2-12 Average Catch per Subsistence Permits by Area of Residence Upper Copper River, 1984-2001............................................................................62 Table 2-13 Harvests by Species, Upper Copper River Subsistence Salmon Fishery (all gear types) .............................................................................63 Table 2-14 Location, Number of Fish Wheels, Number of Permits and Total Harvest, Copper River Fish Wheel Fishery, 2001........................................65 Table 3-1 Comparisons of Survey Results for Ahtna and Non-Local Samples .............. 79-83 Table 3-1 Survey Results .......................................................................................................99 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1. The Copper River Drainage.....................................................................................2 Figure 1-2. Population of the Copper River Basin, 1818 to 2000 ..............................................4 Figure 1-3. Population of Copper River Basin and Adjacent Areas Connected by Road, 1960-2000...............................................................................5 Figure 1-4. Change in Population by Decade, Copper Basin, Selected Road-Connected Areas, and Alaska ........................................................................6 Figure 2-1. Number of Subsistence and Personal Use Fishing Permits Issued, Upper Copper River, 1960-2001 ...............................................................33 Figure 2-2. Estimated Harvests of Salmon by Subsistence and Personal Use Fishers, Upper Copper River District, 1960 – 2001 .......................................36 Figure 2-3. Number of Subsistence Permits Issued, Glennallen Subdistrict, 1960 to 2001.....41 Figure 2-4. Number of Upper Copper River Fish Wheel Subsistence Permits Issued by Area of Residence, 1969-2001 .................................................42 Figure 2-5. Estimated Salmon Harvests in the Subsistence Fishery of the Glennallen Subdistrict, 1960 to 2001.....................................................................57 Figure 2-6. Estimated Subsistence Harvest of Salmon, All Permits, Upper Copper river, by Area of Residence............................................................58 ii Figure 2-7. Average Salmon Harvest per Subsistence Permit (Both Gear Types) by Area of Residence.............................................................................................61 Figure 2-8. Subsistence Salmon Harvests by Species ..............................................................64 Figure 2-9. Harvest of Sockeye and Chinook salmon by Location Upper Copper River Fish Wheel Fishery, 2001.....................................................66 Figure 2-10. Percent of Total Permits of Fish Wheels, Glennallen Subdistrict, 1995............67 Figure 2-11. Percent of Total Permits of Fish Wheels, Glennallen Subdistrict, 2001............68 Figure 2-12 Disposition of Property at Fish Wheel Sites, Glennallen Subdistrict, 2001 ........69 Figure 3-1. Residence of Survey Respondents, Copper River Subsistence Survey, 2000..........................................................................................................78 Figure 3-2. Number of years since first participated in the fishery, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000 ...........................................85 Figure 3-3. Months fished in the Copper River, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000...................................................................................................85 Figure 3-4. Subdistrict Fished, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000...................................................................................................87 Figure 3-5. Gear type used, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000...................................................................................................87 Figure 3-6. Long term us of fishing site, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000 ...........................................89 Figure 3-7. Number of years using fishing site, Copper River Subsistence Fishery Participants, 2000 ...........................................89