Southeast AK Sea Otter Impacts on Subsistence Resources

Competition for resources by sea otters and humans has led to community concerns of food security, social-cultural and economic losses, and uncertainly of the future by various fisheries sectors including subsistence harvesters. As the sea otter population grows and expands geographically in Southeast Alaska, competition between humans and sea otters for marine resources is intensifying. The region of most intense conflict is in southern Southeast Alaska, the region of focus for this study. Understanding how sea otters a drive ecological changes that impact subsistence-based food systems in Southeast Alaskan motivates the direction of this project. We (UAF and UAA) will conduct local and traditional knowledge semi-directive interviews with knowledgeable subsistence users and elders in the community of Hydaburg, Klawock, and Kake, Alaska. A set of questions will focus on determining key subsistence resource species and how sea otters are impacting local resources geographically through time. Understanding strategies that communities are using in response to increasing competition with sea otters for subsistence foods is another key component of our research. We will ask questions about the range of possible community responses (i.e. management strategies) that are occurring in each study community. The goals of our work extend beyond addressing immediate and future food security concerns in local communities and necessitate meeting, consulting, and engaging communities in research to understand the contextual properties that define the sea otter-human conflict in each community. We are engaging community members in all aspects of the research including study design, site selection, identifying knowledgeable experts, and the hiring of local researchers. Understanding how ecosystems and people adapt, and what transformative features maintain sustainable social and ecological properties is critical to understanding how we can strive toward productive, and resilient ecosystems and communities that are grounded in social-ecological realities.