Understanding place in fisheries management: an examination of ecological and social communities in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska

Abstract

Holistic approaches toward fisheries management are widely considered a more sustainable option than standard single-species frameworks. This project uses the holistic frameworks of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) and place-making to examine the ecological and social systems of the Pribilof Islands and the ways in which fisheries management decisions have structured these systems. In Chapter 1, we sought to understand potential ecological constraints of temperature, fish predation, and interactions with a congener (red king crab; Paralithodes camtschaticus) on blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus) recovery. These examinations suggest that blue king crab juveniles switch strategies from predator avoidance to a strategy of predator deterrence in situations where predation is more likely. In addition, this research suggests that predatory interactions between crab congeners may be more likely than fish predation to inhibit blue king crab recovery. In Chapter 2, we sought to understand local place-making efforts and how they differed between the two Pribilof Island villages, as well as, how these place-making efforts articulated with development programs. We found that place-making efforts in both communities were based on maintaining residence in the islands and an appreciation of the wayof-life that residence provided. The way place-making efforts articulated with development programs, however, differed between the communities. In St. George, Alaska, residents selectively embraced development, only supporting initiatives that would help realize the goal of maintaining residence in the community, as opposed to integrating into a regional economy. Residents of St. Paul, Alaska, in contrast, had more autonomy and were able to control development projects in their community to support local place-making efforts. In Chapter 3 we used these data to develop a framework for assessing the vulnerability of fishing communities based on holistic, ethnographic understandings of local social systems. This framework showed St. George to be a highly vulnerable community, while St. Paul was only moderately vulnerable. These assessments challenged previously published, quantitative vulnerability assessments. The results of our investigations into the social and ecological systems of the Pribilof Islands support the idea that holistic perspectives provide important information that can drastically alter management understandings of both fish resources and the people who depend upon them.