By

Ronald T. Stanek, Dan J. Foster, and James A. Fall

Excerpted from Alaska Department of Fish & Game Technical Paper No. 161, June 1988

RESOURCE HARVEST AND USE PATTERNS: CHASE

SPECIES USED AND SEASONAL ROUND OF HARVEST ACTIVITIES

For the most part, resource harvests occurred within regulated seasons. Early spring resources, taken in late April and May, included several species of freshwater fish, such as trout, grayling, and Dolly Varden. Black bear were also hunted in the spring months. Summer harvest activities included fishing for various species of salmon, as well as other fish species in fresh water. Berry picking began in August, as did caribou hunting. Other fall activities included hunting for moose, black bear, ptarmigan, grouse, and ducks, as well as fishing for silver salmon. Resource harvests in winter included hunting for ptarmigan and grouse, furbearer trapping, and fishing through the ice for trout and burbot. There was also a winter season for caribou scheduled for January and February, although caribou were generally not available near Chase during this season. Finally, wood harvests occurred year-round.

SHARING AND RECEIVING WILD RESOURCES

Most households in the Chase sample gave away portions of their resource harvests to other households during 1986, or received fish, game, and wild plants from successful harvesters living in other households. Of the 17 households in the sample, 58.8 percent gave away portions of their resource harvests, and 70.6 percent received resources from other households. The average number of resource categories given away was 2.4, and the average number received was 2.9.

During the study year, it was most common for households to give away game, with 52.9 percent of the sample doing so. Over one third of the sample (35.3 percent) gave away salmon, 17.6 percent gave away edible plant harvests, and 17.6 percent gave away freshwater fish. Very few households gave away marine invertebrates (11.8 percent), marine fish (11.8 percent), birds (11.8 percent), furbearers (5.9 percent), or wood (5.9 percent). By far, moose was the resource that the most households (47.1 percent) gave away. Also, 17.6 percent gave away red salmon, chum salmon, or berries.

A large percentage of the sample (52.9 percent) received game from other households in 1986. In addition, 41.2 percent received marine fish, 23.5 percent received salmon, 17.6 percent received freshwater fish, 17.6 percent received birds, 17.6 percent received marine invertebrates, 11.8 percent received furbearers, and 5.9 received edible plants, freshwater fish, or marine mammals. No households received cordwood or house logs from other families in 1986. Not surprisingly, moose meat was received by the most households, 41.2 percent. One unexpected finding was that 41.2 percent of the households also received gifts of halibut from others who had fished in lower Cook Inlet. Silver salmon ranked third, with 17.6 percent of the sample receiving this resource as gifts during the study year.

RESOURCE HARVEST AND USE PATTERNS: GOLD CREEK - CHULITNA AND HURRICANE - BROAD PASS

SPECIES USED AND SEASONAL ROUND OF HARVEST ACTIVITIES

The fish, game, and wild plant resources which households in the Gold Creek - Chulitna either harvested or used includes 37 resources, with 11 kinds of fish, one species of marine invertebrate, five species of game and furbearers, 9 types of birds and 11 kinds of wild plants. On average, the five sampled households in the Gold Creek - Chulitna area used 11.2 categories of wild resources, attempted to harvest 9.8 categories, and harvested 9.4 categories. For the Hurricane - Broad Pass sample, the list includes 48 kinds of wild food, with 11 kinds of fish, one species of marine invertebrate, 13 species of game and furbearers, 9 types of birds, and 14 kinds of wild plants. The average number of resource categories used among these eight households was 10.1, the average number attempted to harvest was 9.4, and the average number harvested was 7.8.

LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE USE AND HARVEST OF WILD RESOURCES

All of the households in the Gold Creek - Chulitna and Hurricane - Broad Pass samples used wild resources during the 1986 study period. Additionally, 100 percent of these households attempted to harvest and successfully harvested at least one kind of wild food in 1986.

All five Gold Creek - Chulitna households used salmon, land mammals, and birds. Also, 80 percent used freshwater fish and edible plants, 60 percent used marine fish, and 20 percent used marine invertebrates and furbearers. The most commonly used resources at Gold Creek - Chulitna during the study year were moose and spruce grouse, used by all the households. In addition, 80 percent of the sample used rainbow trout, grayling, ptarmigan, berries, and other plants. All of the five households fished for salmon, while 80 percent fished for freshwater fish, hunted for land mammals and birds, or searched for wild plants. One household (20 percent) tried to harvest furbearers. The most commonly sought species were rainbow trout, grayling, moose, berries, and other plants; 80 percent of the households attempted to harvest these resources. The entire Gold Creek - Chulitna sample were successful harvesters of salmon. Also, 80 percent harvested freshwater fish, birds, and edible plants, 60 percent harvested land mammals, and 20 percent furbearers. There were no harvesters of marine fish, marine invertebrates, or marine mammals among the sampled households. The most commonly harvested resources, each taken by 80 percent of the households, were rainbow trout, grayling, berries, and other plants.

The percentage of sampled Hurricane - Broad Pass households that used, attempted to harvest, harvested, received, or gave away eight categories of wild resources is very similar to that just described for Gold Creek - Chulitna. All of the households used wild plants, 87.5 percent used land mammals, 75 percent used salmon, 62.5 percent used freshwater fish, 50 percent used birds and marine fish, and 25 percent used marine invertebrates and furbearers. The most commonly used resources in 1986 among the eight interviewed households at Hurricane - Broad Pass were berries (100 percent using), moose (87.5 percent), other plants (87.5 percent), sockeye salmon (75 percent), and grayling (62.5 percent). Most households attempted to harvest edible plants (87.5 percent), salmon (75 percent), land mammals (75 percent), and freshwater fish. Additionally, 50 percent hunted birds, 37.5 percent tried to harvest furbearers, and 12.5 percent fished for marine fish. More households attempted to harvest berries and other plants (both 87.5 percent) than any other wild foods, followed by moose (75 percent hunting), sockeye salmon (62.5 percent), and grayling (62.5 percent). The most commonly harvested resource category among sampled Hurricane - Broad Pass households in 1986 was edible plants (87.5 percent), followed by salmon (75 percent), freshwater fish (62.5 percent), land mammals (62.5 percent), birds (50 percent), marine fish (25 percent), and furbearers (25.0 percent). Berries (87.5 percent harvesting) and other plants (87.5 percent) were harvested by the most households, while 62.5 percent harvested sockeye salmon, 62.5 took grayling, and 50 percent harvested moose. No one in the Hurricane - Broad Pass sample harvested marine invertebrates or marine mammals in 1986.

SHARING AND RECEIVING WILD RESOURCES

As in Chase, most households in the Gold Creek - Chulitna and Hurricane - Broad Pass areas gave away portions of the wild resource harvests during the study year, or received fish, game, or plants from successful harvesters living in other households. All of the five sampled households at Gold Creek - Chulitna received wild foods from other households, and 40 percent shared their harvests with other households. The average number of resource categories received per household within this sample was 3.2 and the average number of resource categories given away was 2.4. The most commonly received wild resource category was land mammals (80 percent receiving), with birds and marine fish received by 60 percent. Four out of the five households (80 percent) received gifts of moose meat, and 60 percent received halibut. Two of the five households (40 percent) gave away portions of their harvests of birds, while one each gave away salmon, freshwater fish, land mammals, and edible plants. Two Gold Creek - Chulitna households (40 percent) gave away ptarmigan, with harvests of ten other resources given away by one household each.

Of the eight households in the Hurricane - Broad Pass sample, 75 percent received wild foods from successful harvesters in other households, and 62.5 percent shared their own harvests with people living outside their household. The average number of resource categories received in 1986 within the Hurricane - Broad Pass sample was 3.1, and the average number given away was 1.9. Of all the resource categories, land mammal products were received by the most Hurricane - Broad Pass households in 1986 (62.5 percent), followed by salmon (50 percent), marine fish (37.5 percent), edible plants (25 percent), marine invertebrates (25 percent), and freshwater fish (12.5 percent). The resources received by the most households in this sample were king salmon, sockeye salmon, halibut, and moose, all 37.5 percent. More households gave away edible wild plants and salmon (both 37.5 percent) than any other resource category. Additionally, 25 percent gave away land mammals, and 12.5 percent gave away birds and freshwater fish. Sockeye salmon and berries were the most commonly shared wild foods. Also, 25 percent of the households gave away moose.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

THE ROLE OF WILD RESOURCE HARVESTS IN THE SOCIOECONOMIC SYSTEMS OF THE STUDY COMMUNITIES

During the study period in 1986, the use and harvest of wild fish, game, and plant resources played a notable role in the socioeconomic systems of the three areas discussed in this report, Chase, Gold Creek - Chulitna, and Hurricane - Broad Pass. Every sampled household used and harvested wild foods in 1986. Furthermore, most households shared portions of their harvests with others, or received fish or game from successful harvesters from other households. Also, harvest quantities were similar. Chase households on average harvested 553.8 pounds of wild foods in 1986, and Hurricane - Broad Pass households harvested an average of 600.5 pounds. The average household harvest at Gold Creek - Chulitna was lower, 346.9 pounds, but household size of this sample was lower as well. On a per capita basis, harvest quantities of the Gold Creek - Chulitna and Hurricane - Broad Pass samples were virtually identical, 174.0 pounds and 177.9 pounds, respectively. The per capita harvest among Chase households was slightly higher, at 209.2 pounds.

Harvests of wild resources in all three samples were relatively diverse. On average, Chase households used 11.7 kinds of wild resources during the study period, Gold Creek - Chulitna households used 11.2 kinds, and Hurricane - Broad Pass households used 10.1 kinds. In general, the composition of these harvests, as measured in pounds edible weight, was similar in all three areas. Land mammals, especially moose, was the dominant resource category, contributing 54.9 percent of the total resource take at Chase, 44.2 percent at Gold Creek - Chulitna, and 66.9 percent at Hurricane - Broad Pass. Salmon made the second largest contribution to the harvests of the three areas, 23.7 percent at Chase, 29.8 percent at Gold Creek - Chulitna, and 16.2 percent at Hurricane - Broad Pass. Freshwater fish and edible plants ranked either third or fourth in each sample. By far, moose made a larger contribution to the overall resource take for all three samples than any other single resource.

There were also some differences between the three samples. Chase households were more likely to travel outside the study area to harvest marine invertebrates, marine fish, or salmon with non-recreational methods than were households at Gold Creek - Chulitna or Hurricane - Broad Pass. Although harvests of furbearers were not high in any of the samples, over a third of the Chase and Hurricane - Broad Pass households trapped for furbearers in 1986. On the other hand, only one household at Gold Creek - Chulitna (20.0 percent) took any resources from this category.

A final difference concerns the role of horticulture in Chase's local economy. In 1986, households in Chase raised at least 28 kinds of vegetables in their gardens. The average household grew 12.2 kinds of garden produce and harvested 579.6 pounds of these foods during the study year. Households at Chase have, through practice and experimentation, developed ways to grow and store these vegetable foods under relatively severe local conditions. Most believed that gardening, along with hunting and fishing, was an essential component of the local economy. Combining wild resources with garden produce, Chase households, on average, produced 1,133.4 pounds of food in 1986. Horticulture did not play a similar major role in the other two sample areas.