By

Susan Georgette and Hannah Loon

Excerpted From Alaska Department of Fish and Game Technical Paper No. 175, 1990

SUBSISTENCE FISHING

Each summer, families from Shungnak and Kobuk move to camps to harvest salmon, whitefish, and sheefish. Although fishing is the central activity in these camps, camp residents also hunt moose, caribou, bear, and small game and gather berries, roots and birch bark. Some camps are located within a few river bends of the villages; while others are up to a 2-hour boatride away. Camp locations shift over time in response to changes in water level, river course, accessibility, productivity, and family relationships. Fish camp is the highlight of the subsistence year for many upper Kobuk residents, particularly women, who dominate and direct fish camp activities. It is a welcome change from village life and a time to enjoy the serenity of familiar country.

In 1989, most Shungnak and Kobuk fish camps were located above the village of Kobuk. Nine fish camps (excluding an educational camp for local youngsters) were occupied along this section of Kobuk River. Two of these camps were occupied year-round; while the other seven were used seasonally. The seven seasonal camps all belonged to Shungnak residents, though Kobuk residents--usually relatives--often assisted in these camps. . . .

In 1989, Shungnak residents also used two fish camps located between their village and Kobuk. Many other Shungnak and Kobuk residents used the villages as their fishing base, setting nets nearby and cutting and hanging fish on racks along the village beaches.

The fish camps above Kobuk were a 1- to 2-hour boatride from Shungnak. Those with camps in this area offered several reasons for camping this far from the villages. First, competition for a limited number of productive fishing sites near the villages motivated some people to move to more distant locations. Second, with fewer people and less river traffic, the upriver camps offered better hunting. Third, upper Kobuk residents preferred to camp in the sheefish spawning areas because sheefish caught there had eggs, a local delicacy. Sheefish caught near Kobuk and Shungnak in fall have already spawned and, thus, do not have eggs. And, fourth, some Shungnak and Kobuk residents grew up in now-abandoned settlements between Qala and Selkby River. They know the fishing eddies, berry patches, and productive hunting locations. Returning annually to their camps maintains their connection to the land and to their tradition of procuring wild food. For them, it is like going home. . . .

Seasons

Sheefish are caught by upper Kobuk residents throughout the time they re available in the local area. Most sheefish fishing occurs in late August and September, often from camps, though local residents begin catching sheefish in small numbers as soon as they appear in June or July on their upstream migration. . . .

In August, when the chum salmon run reaches the upper Kobuk, local families focus on catching salmon, cutting and drying them for winter use. Sheefish are incidentally caught in salmon nets, along with whitefish and an occasional char. As mid-September approaches and the days grow colder, people's attention turns from salmon to whitefish and then sheefish. Although seefish are caught throughout the summer, local residents prefer to catch them late in the season because the fish are fat, the eggs are ripe, and the fish can be left to age and freeze, a storage method preferable to drying. Sheefish are also easier to catch in fall when they begin moving around prior to spawning, as described above. Sheefish fishing concludes after the fish spawn in late September or early October and migrate downstream. Because sheefish pass quickly on their downstream run, upper Kobuk residents say they are easy to miss, and it is important to listen and watch for them closely.

Some upper Kobuk residents typically stay in fish camp until the end of September or early October, depending on freeze-up and whether they have caught enough fish. In 1989, one family stayed in camp until September 25; while another stayed until October 5. In three families, the main subsistence fisher--women in their 50s or 60s--were employed at the school and had to return to Shungnak by the start of the school term in late August. Because these women were the mainstays of subsistence fishing in their families, their fish camps usually closed down in their absence. These women would have preferred that school started a few weeks later, but adapted as best they could, often traveling back to the fish camps on Friday afternoons and returning to the village on Sundays until freeze-up.

In late September, boat traffic on the upper Kobuk increased as Shungnak and Kobuk residents without camps in the area came upriver to catch sheefish. One camp resident said, "Lots of people camp upriver this time of year to fish, hunt, pick berries, and look around. Everyone wants fish, but there are not enough fishing sites around Shungnak, so people come up here. Lots of traveling this time of year." Most of this additional boat traffic occurred on the weekends, though some households stayed for part of a week or more with friends or relatives in camps.

Shungnak resident net sites on the Kobuk River are "free" and can be fished by anyone if not in use. Field observations confirmed this. One fish camp resident, upon hearing that a nearby fish camp would soon be temporarily vacated, commented, "Good. Now we can set our net there." However, the use of fishing sites by non-local residents might not follow these rules; using a family's net site might not be well tolerated unless permission was first obtained from the person who has use rights to the site.

Fishing Methods

In 1989, upper Kobuk residents caught sheefish with three types of gear: set gill nets, beach seines, and rods and reels. In the past, fish weirs and spears were used, but these have not been used since the 1920s. Each harvest method was best suited to a different combination of circumstances and conditions such as water level, time of year, desired harvest level, preferred method of preservation, and available help and equipment. . . .

In 1989, gill nets and rods and reels were the most widely used methods for catching sheefish, with gill nets usually producing more fish of the two methods. Fewer people used seines, but seining was basically the most productive fishing method for the time invested. Seining required several adults, skill, and a specialized net. . . .

Preparation and Preservation

Upper Kobuk residents preserved sheefish in different ways depending on whether they were caught in summer or fall. In early summer, sheefish are usually eaten fresh because the weather was too warm to dry them. In August, upper Kobuk residents dried sheefish, the only method for preserving them in late summer unless freezer space is available. According to one Shungnak resident, sheefish dry as easily as salmon, but once dried are too oily to last a long time without refrigeration. When the weather grew colder toward the middle of September, sheefish were no longer dried but laid whole in a bed of grass and willows. This allowed the fish to age and eventually freeze. To keep the ripe roe from discharging, upper Kobuk residents plugged (simiktugich) the anal vent with short, sharpened sticks. Aged, frozen sheefish, an upper Kobuk delicacy, were eaten later in winter without further processing or preparation. By spring, these fish were known as ui.laaq (thawed, aged sheefish) a meal savored by upper Kobuk residents.

Fresh sheefish were baked, boiled, or fried. The large intestines, full of fat, were boiled. Fish oil (qaluum uqsruq) was separated from the boiled water with a large spoon and served with cooked sheefish. Fish oil, along with bear fat, was the equivalent of seal oil to residents of the upper Kobuk, where sea mammals are not available. Upper Kobuk residents rarely used sheefish for fog food, except for ones that spoiled after drying. . . .