SUBSISTENCE USE OF FISH AND WILDLIFE IN KOTZEBUE, A NORTHWEST ALASKA REGIONAL CENTER Susan Georgette and Hannah Loon Technical Paper No. 167 . Alaska Department of Fish and Game Diiision of Subsistence Juneau. Alaska November 1993 This research was partially supported by ANILCA Federal Aid Funds administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, SG- l-4 and SG- l-5. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates all its public programs and activities free from discrimination on the basrs of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicap. Because the department receives federal funding, any person who believes he or she has been discrimiated against should wnte to: O.E.O. U.S. Department of lntenor Washington, D.C. 20240 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game conducts all programs and activities free from discrimination on the basis of sex, color, religion, national origin, age. marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. For information on alternative formats available for this and other department publicattons, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907-465-4120. (TDD) l-800- 4783648 or (fax) 907-586-6595 Any person who believes s/he has been discriminated against should write to: ADFBG, PO Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802-5526; or O.E.O.. U.S. Department of the Interior. Washrngton. D.C. 20240. ABSTRACT This study describes the subsistence uses of fish and wildlife in 1986 by residents of the regional center of Kotzebue in northwest Alaska. Included in this report are estimated harvest levels, seasonality of harvest, methods and means of harvest, processing and preservation methods, distribution, wild resource trade and barter, and use of camps in harvest activities. Data on demographics, employment, and income are also presented. Kotzebue is located 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle along the coast of Kotzebue Sound near the mouths of three major river systems -- the Noatak, Kobuk, and Selawik. Archeological findings indicate that people have continuously occupied the Kotzebue Sound area for the past 4,000 years and the present-day Kotzebue area for the past 600 years. In 1986. Kotzebue had an . estimated 765 households and a population of 2,681, about three-quarters of whom were Alaska Native, primarily Iiiupiaq Eskimo. The largest community in the region, Kotzebue serves as a regional service and distribution center for the Northwest Arctic Borough, an area of 43,298 square miles encompassing 11 IAupiaq communities. Study findings showed that Kotzebue residents originated from a diversity of places: about one-quarter of household heads and spouses were born in Kotzebue. about one-quarter were born in other communities in the region. and about 40 percent were born outside Alaska. Kotzebue residents also varied widely in the length of time they had lived in Kotzebue. During the study period, government dominated Kotzebue’s economy and employment opportunities. An estimated 69.4 percent of Kotzebue households had at least one person employed directly by local, state, or federal governments. Other significant employment sectors included services, trade, and commercial fishing. Nearly all Kotzebue households (96.6 percent) had at least some employment in 1986 and more than 70 percent had the equivalent of 52 weeks or more of employment per year. The cstimatcd mean income for Kotzcbue households in 1986 was $40,43 1 of which an estimated 95.6 percent was earned income. As a regional center, Kotzebue had a more diverse population and greater employment opportunities than the smaller, surrounding communities. Nevertheless, Kotzebue residents continued to participate widely in subsistence activities. In 1986, an estimated 78.4 percent of Kotzebue households harvested and an estimated 100 percent used wild food. Greatest harvest participation occurred with berries. salmon, caribou, and sheefish. Other prominent resources in terms of harvest included moose, bearded and ringed seal, waterfowl, ptarmigan, Dolly Varden, whitefish, saffron cod, northern pike, arctic grayling, burbot, and Pacific herring. Kotzebue households harvested an estimated total of 1,067,278 pounds of edible wild resources in 1986. This was the equivalent of an average household harvest 1.395.2 pounds and an average per capita harvest of 398.1 pounds. Four species accounted for 74.0 percent of Kotzebue’s wild food harvest by weight: caribou (24.4 percent), bearded seal (19.0 percent), salmon (18.4 percent), and sheefish (12.2 percent). Other resources each contributed less than 3.5 percent to Kotzebue’s total harvest. In nearly all resources, Native households substantially surpassed non-Native households in both harvest participation and harvest quantities. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACI LIST OF FIGURES. .v LIST OF TABLES . , . , . , . , . .vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ..ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION. 1 PURPOSE OF STUDY. ..................................... 5 METHODOLOGY ........................................ 5 Samples ............................................ 6 Limitations. .......................................... 8 CHAPTER 2. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY. 10 LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT .............................. 10 FLORAANDFAUNA......................................l3 PREHISTORY AND HISTORY. ............................... .15 CHAPTER 3. CONTEMPORARY SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE . .23 POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS ............................ .25 ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT. ............................. .32 Commercial Salmon Fishing ................................ .44 Commercial Sheefish Fishing. ............................... .48 INCOME.. ......................................... ..4 8 COST OF LIVING ....................................... .53 EQUIPMENT OWNERSHIP. ................................. .53 CHAPTER 4. CONTEMPORARY RESOURCE HARVEST AND USE. .57 SEASONAL ROUND OF SUBSISTENCE ACTIVITIES .................. 57 HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION IN RESOURCE HARVEST ACTIVITIES. ...... 61 OVERVIEW OF HARVEST. ................................. 66 Use of Wild Resources for Dog Food. ........................... 69 BIG GAME HUNTING. .................................... 77 Ca~bou ............................................ 78 Moose.. .......................................... 83 D~lSheep .......................................... 8.5 Brown Bear ......................................... 87 Black Bear .......................................... 89 MARINE MAMMAL HUNTING. .............................. 89 Bearded Seal. ........................................ 9 1 Ringed&al ......................................... 95 Spotted Seal ......................................... 97’ Ribbon Seal ......................................... 9x ii Beluga.............................................g 9 Walrus............................................lO 2 Polar Bear .......................................... 105 Bowhead Whale. ...................................... 106 SMALL GAME AND FURBEARER HUNTING. ...................... 108 Porcupine. .......................................... 109 Beaver............................................lll Snowshoe Hare ....................................... 112 ArcticHare .......................................... 113 Arctic Fox .......................................... 114 RedFox.. ....................................... ..115 Lynx.............................................116 Muskrat.. ....................................... ..117 Marten............................................118 Mink.............................................llg LandOtter..........................................llg Arctic Ground Squirrel ................................... 120 Weasel............................................12 0 Wolf ........................................... ..12 1 Wolverine .......................................... 122 BIRD HUNTING AND EGG GATHERING ......................... 124 Ducks.............................................12 4 Geese.............................................12 6 Ptarmigan..........................................12 7 Spruce Grouse. ....................................... 128 Sandhiil Crane. ....................................... 128 Snowy Owl. ......................................... 129 Swans and Other Birds ................................... 129 Eggs.. ......................................... ..13 0 FISHING.. ......................................... ..13 1 Salmon............................................l3 2 Sheefish ........................................... 134 Dolly Varden. ........................................ 137 Saffron Cod ......................................... 14 1 Whitefish Species ...................................... 143 Northern Pike ........................................ 14.5 Pacific Herring. ....................................... 136 Arctic Grayling ........................................ 147 Burbot .......................................... ..14 8 Rainbow Smelt. ....................................... 149 Flounder. .......................................... 150 Sculpin. ........................................... 15 1 Longnose Sucker. ...................................... 15 1 Alaska Blackfish. ...................................... 152 Nine-Spine Stickleback ................................... 153 Clams, Mussels, and Shrimp ................................ 153 Crab.............................................15 4 BERRY AND PLANT GATHERING. ............................ 155 Berries............................................15