Little Fish in Big Ponds: Fisheries & Community Development In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Little Fish in Big Ponds: Fisheries & Community Development in Alaska and Greenland Michael Fox Johnson Saint Edmund's College Scott Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge DECLARATION In accordance with the University of Cambridge regulations, I do hereby declare that: • This thesis consists of my own original work and conforms to an accepted standard of citation in those instances in which I have availed myself of the work of others. • This thesis is not now being submitted, nor has been submitted in the past, for any other degree, diploma. or similar qualification at any university or similar institution. • This thesis does not exceed the maximum allowable length of 20,000 words, excluding tables, appendices, and references. Michael Fox Johnson 12 June 1997 ABSTRACT Development of remote regions in the circumpolar north has been the subject of much academic, political, and community discourse. This thesis examines the effects that two different fisheries J management regimes, the Western Alaska CDQ program and Greenland's Inshore Shrimp Fishery, have on community development. It briefly describes the natural environments, the resident peoples and their histories, and present socio-economic conditions of the regions that participate in the two programs. It then reviews relevant development literature, and, based on that review, selects criteria for evaluation and comparison. This thesis analyzes the two regimes, and supporting programs, on issues of control, adequacy of resource base, amount and availability of capital, employment created, social organization of work production, reliance on existing skills and fostering of new ones, and long-term political viability. It concludes that market-based resource regimes hold dangers for indigenous residents of remote regions. However, establishing community rights to resources, rather than individual ownership, appears to mitigate some of the dangers. Moreover, as seen in the CDQ program, community-rights frameworks can exist within larger individual oriented, market-based regimes. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS James Carville rightly noted that it's best not to select a few people for extra praise and thanks; you can create more enemies by the sin of omission than friends by struggling to remember all who have helped. That piece of advice notwithstanding (he couldn't seem to follow it either), I feel compelled to thank several people and institutions, without whose assistance this thesis would never have been completed: • First and foremost, duty requires me to thank the Brian B. Roberts Fund of the Scott Polar Research Institute and the kind folks at St. Edmund's College for providing financial assistance towards a research trip to Copenhagen. • Graham Poole for his enthusiasm and help with ideas, sources, and contacts. • Dan Carlsson, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Copenhagen, for his thoughtful assistance and gracious hospitality, even when beset by the flu. • Peter Friis and Rasmus Ole Rasmussen, Roskilde University, for a tag team question-and-answer session that lasted one full day. • My advisor, Simon Ommanney, for his painstaking editor's eye and generous soul. • The faculty, staff, and students of the Scott Polar Research Institute, and especially Captain Joe Wubbold, for ensuring that things moved along in a smart and seaman-like fashion. Many people improved the quality of this thesis. Sadly, the remaining imperfections are the work of the author. CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Challenges of Northern Development ........................................... 2 1.2 The Village Economy ............................................................................ 3 1.3 The Role of Government ..................................................................... 5 1.4 Cases for Study ....................................................................................... 6 1.5 Aims of Thesis ........................................................................................... 7 1.6 Definitions ............................................................................................. 9 1.7 Overview ........................................................................................... 1O Chapter 2 Western Alaska and the CDQ Program ........................................ 12 2.1 The Natural Environment, Climate, and Resources ................... 13 2. 1 . 1 Bering Sea Coast ................................. - .................................. 1 3 2. 1.2 Bering Sea .................................................................................. 1 5 2.2 People ........................................................................................... 1 6 2.2. 1 Pre-History .................................................................................. 1 6 2.2.2 History .......................................................................................... 1 7 2.2.3 Present Social Conditions ..................................................... 1 9 2.2.4 Present Economic Conditions .............................................. 21 2.3 The Bering Sea Pollock Fishery ......................................................... 23 2.4 The CDQ Program ................................................................................24 Chapter 3 Greenland and the Inshore Shrimp Fishery .................................. 29 3.1 The Natural Environment, Climate, and Resources ................... 30 3. 1 . 1 Greenland ..................................................................................30 3.1.2 Greenlandic Waters ............................................................... 32 3.2 People ...........................................................................................33 3.2. 1 Pre-History ..................................................................................33 3.2.2 History ..........................................................................................34 3.2.3 Present Social Conditions ..................................................... 36 3.2.4 Present Economic Conditions .............................................. 37 3.3 The Offshore Shrimp Fishery .............................................................. 39 3.4 The Inshore Shrimp Fishery ................................................................ .40 Chapter 4 Literature Review and Criteria Development .......................... .44 4.1 Review of Development Literature and Models ..................... .45 4.1.1 Berman's 'Strategies for Economic Self-Reliance' ...... .45 4.1.2 Langdon's Suitability Criteria .............................................. .47 4.1.3 Sustainable Development .................................................. .47 4. 1.4 lnformal-vs-Formal Economic Activity ............................. 51 CONTENTS 4.2 Criteria Development ........................................................................ 53 4.3 Conclusion ...........................................................................................56 Chapter 5 Analysis ...........................................................................................57 5.1 Control ...........................................................................................58 5.2 Resources and Capital... .................................................................... 61 5.2.1 Resource Base of the CDQ Program .................................. 6 1 5.2.2 Capital in the CDQ Program ................................................ 64 5.2.3 Resource Base of the Inshore Shrimp Fishery .................. 65 5.2.4 Capital in the Inshore Shrimp Fishery ................................ .71 5.3 Employment ...........................................................................................73 5.3.1 The CDQ Program .................................................................... 73 5.3.2 The Inshore Shrimp Fishery .................................................... .7 5 5.4 Social Organization ............................................................................ 7 6 5.5 Skills ...........................................................................................81 5.5. 1 The CDQ Program ....................................................................81 5.5.2 The Inshore Shrimp Fishery ..................................................... 83 5.6 Political Viability ..................................................................................84 5.6.1 The CDQ Program ....................................................................84 5.6.2 The Inshore Shrimp Fishery ..................................................... 86 Chapter 6 Conclusions ...........................................................................................89 References .....................................................................................................................93 Appendix One ...............................................................................................................99 Appendix Two ............................................................................................................ 107 TABLES Table 2.1 Time of Contact for Alaska Native Groups ........................... 17 Table 2.2 CDQ Community Qualification Criteria .................................. 25 Table 2.3 CDQ Communities by Corporation .......................................... 25 Table 2.4 CDQ Proposal Requirements .....................................................