EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report Subsistence Service211 Update: Subsistence Harvests and Uses in Eight Communitites Ten Years after the 211 EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill. (Restoration Project 99471)

摘要

The project supported research undertaken jointly by the Alaska Department of211u001eFish and Game's Division of Subsistence and the Chugach Regional Resources 211u001eCommission to update information about the status of subsistence uses in eight 211u001espill area communities, consisting of Chenega Bay, Cordova, Larsen Bay, Nanwalek, 211u001eOld Harbor, Ouzinkie, Port Graham, and Tatitlek. Data were collected through 211u001esystematic interviews with 372 households. Subsistence harvests in terms of 211u001epounds usable weight and diversity in the 1997/98 study year were at or near pre-211u001espill levels, indicating that harvests continue to rebound from post-spill 211u001edeclines. However, fish make up a larger percentage of the harvest, with relative 211u001edeclines in marine mammals, shellfish, and birds. Survey respondents reported 211u001ethat achieving desired harvests requires more effort than ten years ago due to 211u001escarcity of some key resources. Assessments of sharing, the role of elders, and 211u001ehow well youth are learning subsistence skills revealed some progress in 211u001ereintegrating subsistence activities into community life. However, a large 211u001emajority of respondents reported that the traditional way of life has not 211u001erecovered from the spill. The study results support the view that subsistence is 211u001erecovering, but has not fully recovered from the effects of the spill.