The North American Political Economy

Chapter 4 discusses the importance of agriculture in the primary sector. As agriculture can not keep up in Alaska, people have found luck in the fishing and livestock industry, specifically with reindeer.

Fishing

Alaska’s commercial fisheries are diverse, valuable, harvest a variety of finfish and shellfish species, and include both large and small vessels. Catcher processors over 300 feet in length operate in the Bering Sea pollock fishery while open skiffs of 20 feet fish for salmon, herring, and halibut close to shore. In between all sizes and configurations of vessels work their respective fishing grounds.

Alaska’s largest and most valuable fisheries target salmon, pollock, crab, herring, halibut, shrimp, sablefish, and Pacific cod. The total value of Alaska’s commercial fisheries is $1.5 billion to the fishermen; with a wholesale value of $3.6 billion. Economists have estimated the seafood industry to contribute $5.8 billion and 78,500 jobs to the Alaskan economy. Fisheries management in Alaska is based on scientific assessments and monitoring of harvested populations and is regarded as a model of successful natural resource stewardship. (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingCommercial.main)

Livestock

Congress appropriated funds from 1896 until 1902 to purchase more reindeer from Russia. Small reindeer herds were distributed to mission schools on the Seward Peninsula and throughout western Alaska under the direction of Jackson, to teach Native Alaskans to herd. Additional herds were established along the route to Point Barrow in 1898 when Jackson ordered a drive of over 400 reindeer to an ice-bound ship of starving sailors.

With the discovery of gold in Nome in 1898, reindeer were used to their full potential. There was a large demand for meat and reindeer were used to pull sleds of gear for the miners. The first postal reindeer route was established between St. Michael and Kotzebue in 1899. Reindeer were preferred to dogs for carrying supplies, as they were less expensive and they could graze freely, whereas food needed to be carried for the dogs.

Jackson continued to use reindeer as a means for teaching Native Alaskans English so they could do business with white people. Girls were taught sewing and housework, while men and boys continued to apprentice as reindeer herders. A reindeer apprentice required five years of schooling with room and board. They earned two female reindeer and their calves per year. After five years, the new herder is loaned enough reindeer to increase his herd size to 50 head.

In 1906, a government investigation by the Department of the Interior found that Scandinavians and mission schools rather than Native Alaskans owned a majority of the reindeer in Alaska. As a result, a new government policy was established with the goal of placing more reindeer into Native ownership and Dr. Jackson's serviced were ended. By 1913, Alaskan Natives owned over 30,000 or 65% of the reindeer in Alaska. By the late 1920s there were over 400,000 reindeer in western Alaska and the population peaked at 640,000 reindeer in the 1930s! In 1937, the Reindeer Act was passed which restricted ownership to Native Alaskans. This act is still in place today.

By the 1950s approximately 50,000 reindeer were present on the Seward Peninsula. Reasons for the sharp decline are the harsh winter of 1938-39, losses to migrating caribou, predation by wolves, and the lack of attendance to herds. In the 1960s there was a gradual selection of Native Alaskan owners to become private reindeer herders with designated ranges. In 1968, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) became responsible for range management by issuing grazing permits and monitoring range condition. Soon after, modern range management techniques were applied to reindeer herding. Reindeer herding in Alaska has been a cultural and traditional mainstay in many western villages. The traditions surrounding reindeer herding and the use of their products continues today.

Currently, there are approximately 20 reindeer herders and 20,000 reindeer in western Alaska. These herders belong to the Reindeer Herders Association, which is part of the Kawerak, Inc. Natural Resources Division. This group provides assistance in the development of a viable reindeer industry to enhance the economic base for rural Alaska and to improve the management of the herds. An additional 10,000 reindeer exist in herds on Nunivak, St. Paul, Umnak, and other Aleutian Islands along with a few fenced herds along Alaska's road system. In the lower 48 states, there are approximately 1,000 reindeer, which are owned by private farms and zoos.