Important Subsistence Issues in the AVCP Region

1. Important Subsistence Issues in the AVCP Region For the Northern Waters Task Force Bethel, Alaska October 10, 2011 YupiitPiciryarait Cultural Center Prepared by Timothy Andrew, Director of Natural Resources for the Association of Village Council Presidents Myron P. Naneng Sr., President Raymond J. Watson, Chairman

2. AVCP Regional Subsistence Facts Highest per capita consumption of wild foods in the State of Alaska: 664 pounds Fish are the highest contributor to the subsistence diet: 60% Salmon are very likely a high contributor, up to 80% Land mammals are the second highest: 20% Moose, caribou, bear and musk ox contribute largely to the subsistence harvest. Marine mammals are third: 14% Seals, walrus, and whales are the highest contributors. The remaining six percent consists of birds, shellfish, and plants. The AVCP Region has the highest documented subsistence harvest of migratory birds in the state of Alaska ( 195,082 birds in 2009 compared to the Bering Straits-Norton Sound at 123,257 in 2007.

3. Subsistence Fisheries Salmon Halibut Herring Capelin Cisco Resident Species Burbot Sheefish Whitefish Blackfish Rainbow Trout Dolly Varden Arctic Char Needle Fish Pike

4. Subsistence Birds Migratory Birds Tundra Swans Pacific White-fronted Geese Cackling Canadian Geese Emperor Geese Black Brant Ducks Cranes Spectacled Eiders Stellar’s Eiders King Eiders Resident Species Ptarmigan Grouse

5. Subsistence Big Game Animals Moose Black Bear Grizzly Bear Caribou Musk Ox

6. Subsistence Small Game Animals Beaver Lynx Snowshoe Hare Tundra Hare River Otter Muskrat

7. Subsistence Marine Mammals Beluga Whale Pacific Walrus Ringed Seal Spotted Seal Harbor Seal Bearded Seal Ribbon Seal Sea Otter

8. Subsistence Plants and Berries Fireweed Wild Rhubarb Wild Celery Fiddlehead Ferns Sourdock Mouse Food Buttercups Willow greens Cloudberries Blue Berries Cranberries Raspberries Moss Berries Rose Hips

9. Subsistence Issues with Fisheries The MOST IMPORTANT of subsistence fisheries issues is the state of our Chinook Salmon. The Yukon and the Kuskokwim River derive 80% of the State of Alaska’s subsistence harvest of Chinook salmon. The returns of all salmon species crashed in the summer of 1998 due to unknown reasons. During that time, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, A-Y-K Management staff came to AVCP and asked that we co-endorse a windows schedule in order to minimize the harvest of Yukon Kings and summer chums. Since 1998, the Yukon River King Salmon have never fully recovered despite conservation measures imposed by both the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the Office of Subsistence Management. Conservation measures included 10-day closures which placed hardships on many of our Yukon River subsistence dependent communities.

10. Subsistence Issues with Fisheries Continued: In 2007, the Bering Sea Pollock Fishermen harvested an estimated 122,000 Chinook salmon as bycatch. In 2009, during the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council meeting held in Anchorage, the former Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Denby Lloyd, put forward a motion to allow the Bering Sea Pollock fishermen to harvest as bycatchupto 60,000 Chinook salmon with a performance cap of 47,500. This measure was beyond the AYK supported amount of 30,000. For several years, the Pilot Station Sonar has not been fully operational due to high water conditions, debris flow, and silt. During this time period, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game instituted conservative counting measures which placed undue restrictions on the subsistence and commercial fishermen of the Lower Yukon. There has not been a Chinook directed commercial fishery on the Lower Yukon River since 2007. In the subsequent years, a prohibition on the sales of Yukon Chinook salmon during chum directed fisheries was imposed.

11. Subsistence Issues with Fisheries On the Kuskokwim River, for three years in a row, the Lower Kuskokwim River tributaries of the Kwethluk, Kiseralik, and the Tuluksak have not achieved their escapement goals. In the summer of 2011, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game instituted windows and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service instituted a closure from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River to the Aniak River. Many people were dismayed and frustrated with the dual management system and the lack of communication.

12. Subsistence Issues with Fisheries AVCP Recommends the following: Institute a multiple user process to help determine the best rebuilding plan for the Yukon River Chinook salmon to include Tribal interests based on the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge. Develop a run reconstruction model to assist the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in accurately reporting Chinook salmon passage at the Pilot Station Sonar during years of high debris flow, high water conditions, and silt. Develop and utilize a total human-caused mortality enumeration model to include at-sea ( Pelagic fisheries by-catch and environmental conditions ), in-river (subsistence, commercial, sport and customary trade ), and spawning ground mortalities ( mining, sport fisheries, spawning stream. Improve all means and methods of salmon enumerations projects to allow for any environmental condition that may affect counts in spawning streams and in-river

13. Subsistence Issues with birds The current most important birds to the subsistence diet in the AVCP Region are: Black Brant, Lesser Pacific White-fronted Geese, Cackling Canadians, Lesser Snows and the Emperor Geese. ( 92,837 harvested in 2009 followed by ducks at 66,303 ) The Cackling Canadians and the White-fronted Geese have surpassed their population objectives The Emperor Geese and Black Brant populations have remained relatively stable but experience variations in population. The EMPEROR GEESE are one of the species of most concern. Despite conservation efforts, the population remain relatively low with an occasional increase. Issues that may affect population include continued hunting pressure, development in the wintering areas and environmental factors in their wintering and rearing colonies. HABITAT important to the Emperors include Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the mid-coastal areas. Spectacled Eiders are also one of the species of most concern. Like the Emperor’s, despite conservation measures , the population remains relatively lower than historical levels. Issues that may affect populations include hunting, predation, and environmental factors Habitat important to spectacled Eiders include the Bering Sea and Chukchi coastal areas and a portion of the Bering Sea south of St. Lawrence Island.

14. Subsistence Issues with big game animals Moose and Caribou contributes the most to subsistence from big game animals. The lower Yukon and Unit 18 remainder moose populations are the most dense while the Lower Kuskokwim Moose population remains relatively low. The Lower Kuskokwim, within the last three years, have just emerged out of a moratorium and the population continues to build. Hunting seasons remain relatively short ( 10 days ) with a registration requirement. The Mulchatna Caribou Herd and the Western Arctic Caribou Herd are the most frequent visitors of the AVCP Region. Caribou from the Mulchatna Herd contributes the most to the subsistence diet of the region. The Mulchatna Caribou Herd experienced a historical high of 220,000 animals in 1996 and decreased to possibly less than 30,000 animals today. Hunting season are getting more restrictive and bag limits are decreasing.

15. Subsistence Issues with marine mammals The ringed, bearded and spotted seals were recently listed as possible candidates under the Endangered Species Act due to global warming and the receding seasonal ice in the Bering Sea. Additional factors that may threaten the Bering Sea populations of marine mammals may include increased shipping traffic as the Bering Sea remains Ice free for longer durations and the northward expansion of the Bering Sea trawl fisheries into the currently closed Northern Bering Sea Research Area. Very little scientific information is known about the marine mammal populations in the AVCP Coastal Areas, but traditional and ecological knowledge indicates the erratic movement of ice may affect their availability. As winds blow ice seaward, marine mammal availability decreases and as the winds blow the ice towards land, marine mammals availability increases.

16. Toi, quyana!Questions?