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Abstract The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) conducted a study to collect and utilize traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) held by people living in the villages along the Yukon River as an attempt to better understand changing salmon runs. The study took place during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Twenty-nine participants were interviewed in the four Yukon River villages of Alakanuk, Saint Mary’s, Holy Cross and Nulato. We collected information on local observations of salmon lifecycles, abundance, environmental change and habitat. Through this study we learned that participants are highly affected by the newly regulated subsistence schedule and that their detailed knowledge of their environment,...
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In January 2003, the Federal Subsistence Board adopted new regulations clarifying statewide customary trade practices of subsistence-caught fish and identified the need for additional information, to enable it to further refine regulations. This project addresses that need by documenting customary trade practices of salmon in three villages on the Yukon River. Interviews were conducted with 28 key informants, and included both interviews with individuals and groups. Results from the study indicate that customary trade supports subsistence economies by providing much-needed cash. Customary trade of salmon is part of a social system that distributes resources over time and space. In Alakanuk customary trade was described...
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Fishers’ specialized and adaptive local knowledge can provide long-term observational data
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Fishers’ specialized and adaptive local knowledge can provide long-term observational data to fisheries managers and scientists and aid in understanding environmental variability that influences fluctuations in populations of Pacific salmon. Alaska Native fishermen and women from the Yukon River have long relied on their elders to guide them in preparation for the salmon arrival. This knowledge, often referred to as local knowledge or traditional ecological knowledge, has long been a critical aspect of successful fishing. Principal investigators sought to understand the historical abundance, distribution, and health of salmon populations in several subsistence communities in the middle and lower Yukon River...
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