Project Summary:

At the request of local communities, this project expands upon successful Project 916 in order to better characterize the highly seasonal patterns of seal behavior that have been noted by aerial, but not villager, surveys, and to integrate western science and local traditional knowledge (LTK) of seals into a single framework that accurately describes the role of seals within the Iliamna natural and human communities. This effort represents a collaboration between the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA), the tribal governments of Iliamna, Newhalen, Kokhanok, Igiugig and Levelock, and researchers from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML).

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To accomplish these objectives, researchers will continue training community members to document local observations and subsistence use of seals within Iliamna Lake. In this effort, ADF&G and UAA researchers will work with local researchers to conduct subsistence household surveys (SHS) and identify and interview key hunters to understand seal migration and seasonality in Iliamna Lake, and locals’ ability to hunt seals due to ecosystem change and economic circumstances.  Second, project personnel will collaborate with NOAA biologists and conduct aerial surveys to document seal abundance and distribution throughout the year, rather than just during the summer. Finally, all project personnel will work with communities to integrate western and local knowledge about the seals. At the completion of the project, results will be presented to local communities and other interested parties at community potlucks, informational meetings, and through local newsletters and mailings.