Annual Report Replies: Region 1 - Southeast Alaska
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Annual Report Replies: Region 1 - Southeast Alaska Mr. Donald Hernandez, Acting Chair Southeast Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council c/o Office of Subsistence Management 1011 E. Tudor Rd. MS 121 Anchorage, Alaska 99503-6199 Dear Chairman Hernandez: This letter responds to the Southeast Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council’s (Council) fiscal year 2017 Annual Report. The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture have delegated to the Federal Subsistence Board (Board) the responsibility to respond to these reports. The Board appreciates your effort in developing the Annual Report. Annual Reports allow the Board to become aware of the issues outside of the regulatory process that affect subsistence users in your region. We value this opportunity to review the issues concerning your region. 1. Federal Funding As budgets for the agencies that support the Federal Subsistence Management Program are reduced, the Council is concerned that certain programs and support will be affected: a. Funding of Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (FRMP) Projects: The Council is worried about the availability of Federal funding for the FRMP, and that projects funded through this program will be reduced or even cancelled. The Council acknowledges the value of the data collected from these projects and their importance for managing fish and wildlife resources for the traditional and subsistence way of life. There is a definite need for data concerning fish populations and documented impacts to determine what causes the decline of fish runs in some systems and not in others. The Council also recognizes the significant impact these FRMP projects have to the communities of rural Southeast Alaska, including jobs, and skill development for community residents. The Council would appreciate the Board’s support for the continuation of the FRMP and, if appropriate, would appreciate the Board advocating for consistent funding. b. Funding for Consistent Staff Support at Council Meetings: Another concern for the Council is the availability of funds for Federal staff to attend the Council meetings in person to provide support. With the important work and responsibilities that the Council carries, it is crucial for supporting staff to be available, in person, to provide information and answer questions. The Council will often reach out to Federal biologists to engage in discussions and to ask questions before formulating discussion on the record. At the last meeting, however, the Council found this challenging due to biologists attending by phone and not in person. The Council relied more on the biologists in the room, which were State wildlife biologists. As the program moves into the fisheries regulatory cycle, the Council is concerned that they will not be able to rely on State fish biologists being as involved in the meetings. The Council requests that if the attendance of Federal biologists August 2018 Federal Subsistence Board Work Session 1 Annual Report Replies: Region 1 - Southeast Alaska to its meetings is a funding issue, that the Board identify possible additional funding that may be available to ensure Federal staff are attending the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s public meetings and supporting the Councils. c. Funding to Continue Wolf Population Studies in Unit 2 The Council heard a lot of public and tribal comments at both its public meetings in the fiscal year. There is a clear need for continued wolf population studies in Unit 2. The Council would request that the Board instruct the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s agencies to work with local tribes, communities and subsistence hunters for traditional ecological knowledge on this issue on Prince of Wales Island. The Council would further request that the Board support continuation of cooperative work with Tribes to provide tissue samples to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and that the program explore funding opportunities to continue these wolf population studies in Unit 2 so that a management plan/strategy can eventually be developed. d. Funding for Travel for Council Representation at State Meetings The Council asks the Board to identify funding available for members of the Council to travel and attend meetings pertaining to the management of fish and wildlife for subsistence uses, including Alaska’s Board of Fisheries and Board of Game meetings, particularly when the Council submitted a proposal to either Board. Representing the Council at meetings addressing fisheries and wildlife issues in Southeast Alaska is crucial to the State and Federal management of fish and wildlife resources and is critical to ensure that the subsistence use and priority provided by ANILCA is considered in plans, strategies, and rulemaking statewide. The Council requests that funds be available for members of the Council to attend Alaska Board of Fisheries or Board of Game meetings and that additional Council members be funded to attend Federal Subsistence Board meetings, along with the Chair, when necessary. Response: 1a. Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program funding from the Department of Agriculture has not changed and we expect it to continue at the current level. 1b. The Board agrees with the Council that it is important to have appropriate Federal staff at the Council meetings to work with the Council. While there have been reductions in Federal travel budgets, the Council can expect continuing biological support at meetings. 1c. The Board and the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s agencies will continue to work cooperatively with all stakeholders in Unit 2. 1d. As noted above, travel budgets have been reduced. Support for travel will have to be determined on a case by case basis for Council members to attend Alaska Board of Fisheries and Board of Game meetings or for an additional Council member to travel in for the Federal Subsistence Board meeting in addition to the Council Chair. The Council must provide a 2 August 2018 Federal Subsistence Board Work Session Annual Report Replies: Region 1 - Southeast Alaska reasonable justification to participate when a State Board will be considering a proposal that the Council has submitted. Feel free to submit your requests for this additional travel/justification to both the Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) Assistant Regional Director and the Forest Service, Federal Subsistence Management Program Coordinator, Thomas Whitford. 2. Utilization of Traditional Ecological Knowledge by Federal Subsistence Program: The Council previously advised the Board of its concern regarding the current monitoring process on the Unuk River, specifically pertaining to eulachon and how the closures of this harvest in the past several years have affected this subsistence opportunity. The Council would like to ask the Board to instruct the relevant components of the Federal Subsistence Management Program to fully utilize traditional ecological knowledge to more effectively track the eulachon and obtain accurate information on escapement. In addition, the Council would request that the Board similarly instruct appropriate program staff to always utilize traditional ecological knowledge and engage with local subsistence users when working on subsistence issues. Local and traditional ecological knowledge is crucial when both weighing the protection of a resource and protecting a way of life. Response: The Board recognizes the critical importance of local and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in informing the Federal Subsistence Management Program. We rely on this knowledge and consider it equitably, when possible, alongside of western scientific knowledge. Similar to western science oriented research regimes, TEK is obtained through repeated interactions with the natural world over time, and can often transcend generations and cultures. The Board understands that TEK may provide a spatial and temporal scale of knowledge that is otherwise unavailable to resource managers; holders of this knowledge experience local landscapes and environmental phenomena over vast areas, throughout the seasons, and often over the span of many years. The Board strives to obtain TEK from a variety of sources in an effort to inform our management decisions. Analyses for wildlife and fishery proposals, customary and traditional use determination proposals, and rural determination proposals all incorporate available TEK to help us better understand subsistence resources and the people that depend on them. We direct OSM staff to include all relevant TEK in all aspects of these analyses. That said, our analysts are often unable to conduct primary research due to financial and logistical constraints and thus must rely on published literature and public testimony. This is one of the many reasons that we rely on you, our regional advisory councils, to help inform the program of local conditions and available knowledge on the subject matter. Transcripts from public meetings, regional advisory council meetings, and Federal Subsistence Board meetings are mined for TEK that can inform this program. We also rely on written public comments and conversations with local stakeholders and land managers. This Board also considers our government-to-government consultations with Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporations imperative to our program. While participation in these consultations has historically been low, we are committed to improving avenues of August 2018 Federal Subsistence Board Work Session 3 Annual Report Replies: Region 1 - Southeast