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Description of Alaskan Eskimo Bowhead Whale Subsistence Sharing Practices

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Description of Alaskan Eskimo Bowhead Whale Subsistence Sharing Practices Description of Alaskan Eskimo Bowhead Whale Subsistence Sharing Practices Including an Overview of Bowhead Whale Harvesting and Community-Based Need Final Report Submitted to Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission P.O. Box 570 Utqiaġvik, Alaska 99723 Submitted by Stephen R. Braund & Associates P.O. Box 1480, Anchorage, Alaska 99510 907-276-8222 (Phone); 907-276-6117 (Fax) [email protected] 23 May 2018 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the 67 whaling captains, co-captains, and crew members, in addition to other community members, who provided their time and knowledge in support of this research. Multiple individuals and entities provided financial, technical, and logistical support for this study. The research was conceived by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) and funded by the AEWC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We would like to thank the 11 AEWC commissioners for their support and guidance, particularly during the study’s initial development and during subsequent reviews. We would also like to thank Lesley Hopson, Administrative Manager of the AEWC, for her prompt logistical support; and Arnold Brower, Jr., Executive Director of the AEWC, for his oversight and advice. Robert Suydam and Craig George of the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management shared key data and insight, as did Michael Galginaitis of Applied Sociocultural Research. Fieldwork in the seven study communities would not have been possible without the assistance and support of the AEWC commissioners, Whaling Captains Association presidents, and other individuals and entities in each community. In particular, we would like to thank Edmond Apassingok and Rodney Unwiluk of Gambell; Thomas Akeya, George Noongwook, and Larry Kava of Savoonga; Clark Lane and Herbert Kinneeveauk of Point Hope; Chester Ekak and John Hopson, Jr. of Wainwright; Arnold Brower, Jr. and Eugene Brower of Utqiaġvik; Carl Brower and Thomas Napageak, Jr. of Nuiqsut; and Christopher Gordon of Kaktovik. We would also like to acknowledge Jessica Lefevre, AEWC Legal Counsel, who was instrumental in getting this study off the ground; providing valuable insight regarding study methods, analyses, and conclusions; and providing technical assistance and editing throughout the life of the project. AWC16_Bowhead Sharing Report_5-23-18 i Stephen R. Braund & Associates Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ i Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. iii List of Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Need ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Fieldwork .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Analysis and Reporting ............................................................................................................................. 5 Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Definition of Subsistence .......................................................................................................................... 5 History/Overview of the Harvest of Bowhead Whales by Alaska Eskimos and Documentation of Community-Based Need ........................................................................................................................... 6 Prior to IWC Involvement (Pre - 1977) ................................................................................................ 6 Establishment of the AEWC and Quantification of Need .................................................................... 7 1989 through Present ............................................................................................................................ 7 Documentation of Community-Based Need Over Time ....................................................................... 8 Overview of Sharing of Bowhead Whale in Alaska Eskimo Communities ............................................. 8 The Role of Bowhead Whale and Sharing in Alaska Eskimo Society .................................................. 8 Distribution Methods – Bowhead Whales .......................................................................................... 16 Alaska Eskimo Population and Distribution Trends ............................................................................... 28 Existing Data on Sharing Outside Alaska Eskimo Whaling Communities ............................................ 33 Field Data on Sharing Outside Alaska Eskimo Whaling Communities .................................................. 53 Distribution of Bowhead Whale Outside Communities ...................................................................... 53 Future Considerations Regarding the Bowhead Whale Quota ............................................................... 59 Effects of Quota on Hunter Behavior ................................................................................................. 59 Resource Trends/Availability ............................................................................................................. 61 Other Issues Facing Alaska Eskimo Whaling Communities .............................................................. 62 Reevaluation of Factors Affecting Need ................................................................................................. 64 References ................................................................................................................................................... 69 AWC16_Bowhead Sharing Report_5-23-18 ii Stephen R. Braund & Associates List of Tables Table 1: AEWC Bowhead Whale Harvests, 2000-2016 ............................................................................... 3 Table 2: Iñupiaq and Siberian Yupik Terms Describing Aspects of Sharing, Whales, and Shares of Whales ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Table 3: Distribution of Bowhead Whales in Utqiaġvik, Wainwright, Kaktovik, and Nuiqsut ................. 17 Table 4: Distribution of Bowhead Whales in Point Hope ........................................................................... 19 Table 5: Distribution of Bowhead Whales in Gambell and Savoonga ....................................................... 21 Table 6: Alaska Native/Alaska Eskimo Population in Alaska Eskimo Whaling Communities, 1910-2010 .................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Table 7: Percentage of Alaska Natives Living in Urban and Rural Areas, 1950-2010 .............................. 31 Table 8: Residence by Tribal Group, 2010 ................................................................................................. 31 Table 9: Sharing of Bowhead Whale Meat – Alaska Bowhead Whaling Village Respondents, 1982 ....... 33 Table 10: Extent of Inter-Village Bowhead Whale Meat Sharing by Village – Alaska Bowhead Whaling Village Respondents, 1982 ......................................................................................................................... 34 Table 11: Extent of Inter-Village Bowhead Whale Meat Sharing by Village and Recipient Community - Alaska Bowhead Whaling Village Respondents1, 1982 ............................................................................. 34 Table 12: Percentage of Households Sharing Subsistence Foods, by Recipient Community .................... 37 Table 13: Alaska Sharing Destinations by Wainwright and Kaktovik Households, Previous 12 Months . 39 Table 14: List of 68 ADF&G Study Communities Using Bowhead Whale – Any Study Year ................. 43 Table 15: Estimated Households Using Bowhead Whale – Non-Whaling Communities .......................... 50 Table 16: Reported Bowhead Whale Sharing Destinations, Seven AEWC Whaling Communities .......... 53 Table 17: Eleven Alaska Eskimo Whaling Villages’ Subsistence and Cultural need for Landed Bowhead Whales, 20101 ............................................................................................................................................
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