GENERAL PATTERNS OF SUBSISTENCE FISHING

Salmon fishing for Togiak and Twin Hills is crucial not only as a source of food, but also as a source of income. A study conducted in 1983 (Wolfe et al. 1984) found that the primary source of income for Togiak was the commercial fishing industry. Moreover, the major source of food was found to be fish. It also was shown that the commercial and subsistence fisheries were not only intertwined, but were compatible culturally and economically. For example, fish are used for food in both fisheries; gear in one can be used in the other; the necessary skills are similar; and often, those people who commercial fish also fish for subsistence foods. . . . Most of the fishing in Togiak Bay is done by fishers with commercial permits, and a substantial percentage of fish used for subsistence are retained from commercial nets. In short, if one is a commercial fisherman, one can be always assured of subsistence catch if one chooses to keep part of the fish for home use.

There are also village residents who are not involved in the commercial fishery of Togiak Bay, but who are dependent on the river for their subsistence fish resources. . . . Most of the community's subsistence fish are caught in the river by such fishers. . . .

Participants in the Subsistence Salmon Fishery

For the most part, the residents of Togiak and Twin hills are the main participants in the subsistence fishery on the Togiak River and Togiak Lake. In general, residents who fish the bay are also commercial fishermen; while those who fish the river, particularly during the months of June through August, are elders, their young helpers, and those villagers who are not involved directly in the commercial harvest of salmon. Husband and wife teams are common among elders. However, elder widows often have sons or sons-in-law take them to subsistence fish. The actual social pattern is highly dependent upon the structure and composition of the domestic extended family group (see Wolfe et al. 1984).

Timing and Salmon Fishing

For both Togiak and Twin Hills, subsistence fishing for salmon often begins toward the latter part of May and can last well into October. During this time frame, subsistence fishing occurs more intensely during some periods than others. This variability is due, in part, to the arrival of targeted species migrating into Togiak Bay and the Togiak River, as well as other factors such as weather, conditions required to dry fish, and the strength of the salmon run. . . .

June and July are the major months during which the king and sockeye runs are present in the bay and the river. Nearly all of the bay fishing is done from commercial nets during commercial open periods. Some fish, usually in small quantities, are retained from commercial nets and are brought back to the village for subsistence use based largely upon need. We suspect that the selection of subsistence fish from a commercial net is based upon species targeted at a certain point, household requirements, and personnel available to process fish, as well as time to complete tasks and the weather conditions at the time of the catch.

On the river, most subsistence fishing occurs during tidal floods as salmon push with the tide into the river and its tributaries, moving to spawning locations. Subsistence fishers for kings and reds, the early targeted fish, are seeking mainly "brights" (fresh fish) since their flesh is the most firm and produces a good dried product. As a consequence, most of the subsistence fishing takes place from the mouth through the first ten miles of the river, rarely farther than Gechiak Creek (Qissiang) or Urrasq.

In general, subsistence nets are set in the first few hours of the flood and checked or picked at high points in the tide. The length of time a net may be kept in the water fishing is variable and depends upon the number of fish required, the strength of the run, the size of the tide, and the weather. For example, in early July, we went with a subsistence fisherman upriver to check and pick a net that had been set in the water the day before. The 10-fathom net was loaded with approximately 80 fish, mostly sockeye salmon. In this case, he had made an earlier harvest the day before. In another case, the net was set at low water, picked at high water six hours later, and checked again approximately twenty-four hours later during the next similar large, high tide. In this case, the fish were not running strong, and the assumption was that a small flood would not bring many fish into the river.

Thus, the number of trips made by a household to the river to place and check nets varies considerably. We found that some villagers make only one trip and others made as many as twenty-two trips to harvest king, sockeye, and chum salmon. . . . In fishing the river, many factors determined the productiveness of a set and the need to repeat or quit. Most villagers fish with an idea of the number of "racks' of each species of fish they will need to get through the year. Such targets condition where and when they will fish and such issues as the number of trips are contingent upon these sought goals.

We observed that during commercial closures and weekends or holidays, river activities such as gathering firewood for steam baths, mid-season rod and reel fishing for Dolly Varden, berry picking, herb gathering, hunting, and checking allotments dramatically increased. These are intermittent activities that can be fit into such an irregular schedule. In contrast, subsistence salmon fishing did not necessarily increase at such times. Subsistence salmon fishing with the intent of harvesting enough fish to get through the year is a more planned activity requiring the coordination of a number of persons. Villagers will leave at any time during the week whenever conditions are best to do subsistence fishing. Even short trips near the mouth of the river are planned in advance. The point is that subsistence salmon fishing, for the villagers, is a serious activity and is not casually done. . . .

An important point regarding coho salmon fishing is that there is often considerable latitude in determining when to fish. Although the weather may affect the timing of fishing for coho, it is not early so determinate as it is in regard to kings and sockeyes that are primarily dried. Coho are either frozen whole or split, dried for a few days, and then frozen. To adequately dry fish, the weather must be cooperative, and villagers say fall is too unpredictable to count on enough good weather for thorough drying of salmon. Thus, most of the salmon caught in the fall are dried for only a short time and then stored in a freezer rather than in a traditional cache.

Spawned (spawning) sockeyes are the last of the salmon harvested in the fall. Sockeyes spawn in the streams and creeks of the rivers surrounding Togiak Lake where they run in large numbers. It is at the lake that most of the villagers harvest the spawned sockeye. At this time, Dolly Varden also are harvested. This activity takes place by beach seining in the upper portion of the river, usually from the Pengokepuk Creek area on toward the lake. . . .

The harvesting of spawned sockeyes begins as early as the last week in August and may go as late as the latter part of October. There appears to be considerable latitude in the timing of going to the lake to harvest spawned sockeye, as well as harvesting fall Dolly Varden. We found that many people wait until the flies have gone for the year before harvesting and splitting fish in the fall. In 1987, the flies were nearly gone by the middle of September, although this varies between years.

In early to mid August, chums are taken, followed by silvers later in the month. In August nearly all of the fish were caught by rod and reel. Respondents reported that there were too few silvers in the river for net fishing, and the flies were still out in force preventing people from splitting and drying fish. However in September, as the silver run increased and the flies were reduced in number, the opposite pattern is evident. More use of nets developed, and use of rod an reel decreased.

In sum, subsistence harvesting of salmon begins in late may to early June in Togiak Bay and ends at Togiak Lake in late October. During that broad time frame, the main salmon pursued respectively are chinook, sockeye, chum, coho, an spawned sockeye salmon. Chums are more incidental than a targeted species, except for persons with dog teams. Although sockeye are, for the most, targeted salmon species, a few villagers reported they prefer chums for drying. There is some variability as to when a salmon species may be harvested; but, in general, king and sockeye are targeted in June and July, chum, is targeted, in July and August, coho in the latter part of August through September, and spawned sockeye from late August through October. There is a considerable decrease in subsistence gillnet fishing activity for salmon between the latter part of July to the latter part of August, a period of approximately one month. The major form of subsistence fishing during this period is with a rod and reel. Harvesting is for more immediate consumption. . . .