The division of subsistence will develop harvest estimates for ducks, geese, swans, and sandhill crane inrural alaska develop harvest estimates for ptarmigan and grouse harvest in rural alaska and…

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will receive $500,000 from the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 7 under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety Formula Grant program (CFDA 15.611) from December 1, 2022 to June 30, 2027. The funding will support projects to develop harvest estimates for migratory birds in rural Alaska, compile existing data on ceremonial harvest of game populations statewide, and conduct outreach to improve reporting of ceremonial harvest. Key deliverables include migratory bird harvest estimates, an assessment of data quality and gaps on ceremonial harvest, and the development of an educational program to enhance compliance with reporting requirements for ceremonial harvest. Contextually, the Pittman-Robertson program aims to support wildlife restoration and habitat conservation efforts important to subsistence uses in Alaska.

The division of subsistence will develop harvest estimates for ducks, geese, swans, and sandhill crane inrural alaska develop harvest estimates for ptarmigan and grouse harvest in rural alaska and address anidentified documentation GAP related to subsistence harvest of migratory birds. This information isneeded to estimate the contribution of rural and subsistence hunting of migratory birds in alaska to takein the whole pacific flyway and to support management functions and collaboration among state, federal, and alaska native partners of the alaska migratory bird CO management council (ambcc). Harvestmanagement data will address a GAP in documentation of the history and processes of the ambcc, thussupporting collaboration among partners.subsistence will also compile existing data for the ceremonial harvest of game populations statewide inorder to assess data quality and gaps and gather qualitative data regarding potlatch practices. Thesynthesis of these two datasets will inform the development of a robust educational and outreachprogram to improve ceremonial harvest utilization and reporting compliance.results from investigations 1 3 will contribute by making information needed for bird harvestmanagement easily accessible to all stakeholders. In investigation 4, ceremonial harvest is an extremely important aspect of some alaska native culturalpractices, honoring the deceased and thanking the living for help given to the deceased s family. Sharingceremonial wild foods is a critical component of these practices. The importance of these practices isrecognized in current legal findings and regulatory structures, but reporting remains poorly documentedin some areas due to myriad factors, including the sensitivity surrounding talking about ceremonialharvest, a lack of understanding by decisionmakers of the importance of these practices, and sometimesjust the social circumstances surrounding the death of a family member and the obligations of the livingto honorably put away their loved ones. The limited reporting poses challenges to resource managersaccounting for mortality within a given wild game population and their overall assessment of wild resourceuse. This project will address this lack of information in three ways through data compilation and assessment, education and outreach, and through the development of a plan to standardize data assessment. Athorough and statewide consideration of ceremonial harvest, including the compilation of existing harvestdata, will provide a greater understanding, by both the department and by communities alike, of the localand regulatory realities of this important practice. Ethnographic research will provide valuable contextfor, and potential expansion of, existing harvest data and will provide more thorough documentation ofcustomary and traditional subsistence use through ceremonial harvest. Outreach meetings will also focuson expanding community knowledge of the existing legal structures, highlighting the importance ofharvest reporting to successful management, and will explore any impediments identified by localsubsistence users to accessing or filing harvest permits. The development of a proposal to standardizehow data are recorded and evaluated will make these data more accessible and understandable tomanagers and users.