Subsistence Harvest and Use of Fish and Wildlife Resources And the Effects of Forest Management in Hoonah, Alaska Robert F. Schroeder and Matthew Kookesh Technical Paper Number 142 This research was partially supported by ANlLCA Federal Aid Funds, administered through the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Anchorage, Alaska (SG-l-88) Division of Subsistence Alaska Department of Fish and Game Juneau, Alaska November, 1990 ABSTRACT Research rcportcd in this document was designed to a) provide baseline data on the subsis- tcncc harvest and use of fish and wildlife resources by Hoonah residents and b) examine changes in subsistence that may be taking place due to logging and road construction in the Hoonah area and due to the state and federal regulatory environment. Intensive field research conducted in Hoonah in 1986 and 1987 collected ethnographic data through interviews with Hoonah elders and other residents of the Port Frederick area and gathered subsistence harvest and use and socioeconomic data through a ran- dom household survey of 71 of Hoonah’s 255 households. Less intensive research activities continued through 1988-1990. Mapped data showing the locations of subsistence harvests and the intensity of subsistence land use were collected through key informant interviews, survey questions, and public meetings. Measures of intensity of land use were developed from these data. Hoonah residents were found to rely on subsistence harvests for much of the food they use, harvesting an average of 209 Ibs per capita and using 234 lbs per capita of fish, wildlife, and plant re- sources in the study year. Salmon and other fish accounted for 41 percent of the subsistence food har- vested; deer accounted for 25 percent. Seals, marine invertebrates, and seaweeds also had important subsistcncc harvests. Subsistcncc hunting, lishing, and gathering took place primarily in traditional clan and community harvesting areas. We divided the entire area used by Hoonah residents for customary and traditional subsistence harvests into 30 analytical units and examined intensity of use and change in intensity of use over time. These measures suggested some changes in intensity of use due to recent timber harvesting and showed a sharp decline in use of traditional territories within Glacier Bay National Park since the 19.50s. The change in Glacier Bay has been the result of National Park Service policies that have discouraged or prohibited the subsistence harvesting of fish and wildlife from the ar- eas traditionally used by Huna Tlingit that now lie within park boundaries. We examined deer harvesting in the core area most important to Hoonah residents and found that significant changes were underway affecting local subsistence patterns of use of this species. Log- ging and logging-r&ted construction has resulted in the establishment of semi-permanent camps and scttlcmcnts within the Hoonah core area. Residents of these camps compete with Hoonah residents for deer and other resources. Hundreds of miles of logging roads have been constructed in the Hoonah core area since 1982. Hunters from other southeast Alaska communities now use these roads during the deer hunting season, adding to the hunting pressure on deer and the competition with llloonah hunters. The total deer harvest in areas with logging roads has risen sharply, and, at the time of this study, Hoonah hunters were unable to harvest the number of deer they desire. Logging of high-volume, old-growth forest on both Tongass National Forest and Native Corporation land near Hoonah has resulted in a progressive, cumulative loss of critical deer habitat. With this loss of habitat, the lloonah core area’s ability to support deer has declined over time. This dccreasc in the deer habitat due to logging, coupled with increased deer harvests by non-Hoonah resi- dents, may have a long-term impact on Hoonah residents’ subsistence hunting. This study indicates that subsistence hunting has been restricted in some parts of the Hoonah core area by past logging. Subsistence harvesting of deer by Hoonah residents may be restricted in all parts of the Hoonah core area if prcscnt plans to log on northeast Chichagof Island are followed. Hoonah residents’ harvest and use of fish has been affected by State of Alaska and federal regulations that restrict bag limits, areas where fish may be taken, and gear that may bc used for subsis- tcnce fishing. Partly because of the restrictive regulatory environment, substantial portions of the lish used for subsistence by Hoonah residents are taken from legal commercial catches. Some fish species, particularly coho and king salmon and halibut, are also caught under sport fishing regulations. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WC would like to express our appreciation to the people of Hoonah who generously con- tributed their time and knowledge to make this report possible. We particularly thank the individual elders and other respondents who shared their knowledge of Tlingit history and culture and of Tlingit land and resource USCin the North Chichagof, Icy Strait, and Glacier Bay areas with us. In depth inter- views with Victor Bean, George Dalton, Richard Dalton, William and Martha Davis, Al Dick, Ray Dick, Sam Hanlon, the late Eli Hanlon, Ray Howard, Wilber James, Charles Jack Sr., Tom Jack Sr., Mary Johnson, Amy Marvin, Katherine Mills, Frank See, Richard Sheakley Sr. and other elders helped the authors understand the historical context of contemporary Hoonah and the cultural continuity of Huna Tlingit subsistence harvesting patterns of fish and wildlife. A number of organizations deserve special mention as well. The Hoonah Indian Association provided special assistance during the field survey interviewing in 1986. The Hoonah City Council pro- vided a review of maps produced from this research project in 1987. Members of the Hoonah Elders Council schooled us in the history of Hoonah and in subsistence traditions. Members of the Hoonah Fish and Game Advisory Committee and many active commercial fishermen provided information not available from other sources. Managers of the Whitestonc logging camp assisted us in contacting their cmployccs. Forest Scrvicc management and planning staff at both the district and regional level pro- vidcd us with quant itativc data unavailable from other sources. We also thank Mona Brown and Katherine Hanlon who did field surveys in Hoonah and at the Whitestone camp early in this project. Aspects of this research benefited from discussions over the last four years with Martha Betts, Robert Bosworth, Rod Flynn, Gabriel George, Matthew Kirchhoff, John Kruse, Harold Martin, Robert Muth, Robert Price, and Robert Wolfe. Francis Inoue expertly drafted the maps that appear in this report, and Yvonne Howard competently assisted in production of this document. Robert Bosworth and Robert Wolfe carefully reviewed earlier drafts of this report; their attention to both substance and detail is reflected in this finished product. Robert DeJong, Ernestine Hanlon, Hank Newhouse, Frank Wright Jr., and Elroy Young also provided useful review comments. Some of the information and conclusions in this report were presented in papers delivered at meetings and conferences of the Alaska Anthropological Association, the American Anthropological Associa- tion, the American Fishcrics Society, the Society for Applied Anthropology, and the Wildlife Society, and at the Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies and the Glacier Bay Science Symposium. We gratefully acknowledge the comments and criticism of our professional colleagues present when papers were dclivcrcd. V TABLE OF CONTENTS . ABSTRACT .._.._. _. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ......... iv LIST OF TABLES . .. .. .. .. .. ......................... X LIST OF FIGURES . .. .. .. .. ..................... xi CHAPTER 1 STUDY BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY . .. .. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Study Context ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Study Purposes.. ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Baseline Research ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Change in Subsistence Use ..................................................................................................................... .7 ECcects of Forest Management ................................................................................................................ 7 McthodoloLy .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Rcscarch Field Time.. ............................................................................................................................... 8 Community Review ................................................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Key Respondent Intenicwing ...............................................................................................................