Living in Alaska isn’t for everyone. We are second only to Hawaii in food costs, minus the avocados and fresh fruit off the trees. There are upsides to living in such a wild place, with just 1.3 people per square mile and half of them living in the greater Anchorage area. That means there are plenty of wild places to enjoy recreation that also provide sustenance. Subsistence harvest is an important part of living in Alaska for many of us. From the first Indigenous inhabitants who carefully managed their harvest so that their food supply would be available for generations to the start of Alaska’s statehood, subsistence harvest has been part of what we do.
When Alaska was moving toward statehood and began to implement more formal wildlife management, there was often a priority on commercial harvests that sometimes clashed with traditional subsistence needs. It was part of the prevailing attitude at the time that we needed to harvest as much as we could and that there would always be more available. That began to change after statehood and after the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act reorganized land use and opened lands for development. It became apparent that subsistence harvest and access to traditional food sources would require protection. The Alaska State Legislature passed the state's first subsistence law in 1978, making subsistence the highest-priority use of fish and game.
Now that it’s part of our state laws, subsistence is an integral part of how we manage our harvest. When stocks of a certain fish are critically low, commercial and sport catches are reduced with a priority for subsistence harvesters. If stocks remain critically low, subsistence harvest may be limited as well, but those subsistence rights are the first to return when fish stocks rebound.
Sitkans harvest a wide variety of foods through subsistence, but I'll highlight some of the most significant. Across the state, Alaskans partake in dipnetting for subsistence sockeye salmon, and in Sitka we have an incredible resource in Redoubt Lake. This deep lake supports many salmon species, but sockeye have thrived there in recent years. For the last 20 years, returns have ranged from 15,000 to 80,000 sockeye, and in the last couple of years we’ve had over 200,000 fish returning to spawn. This bonanza means that Sitkans can harvest 25 sockeye a day to fill their freezers and canners. In the video below you can see how we do it: swinging a long-handled net through the rapids and hoping to catch a fish as you precariously balance on slippery rocks. It’s not for the faint of heart, but the reward is worth the price of admittance. Since Redoubt isn’t accessible to everyone, being only reachable by boat, many harvest for others and provide for community elders and those who can’t harvest themselves. It’s inspiring to see younger generations putting in the hard hours of dipping to provide for those who are no longer able to do it. In the video below you can see how we do it.
dip netting
This June we traveled 50 miles north of Sitka by boat to harvest one of the region’s most prized delicacies, the spot prawn. I used to commercially harvest spot prawns in this area 10 years ago, but stocks were in decline, so it was closed for seven years to all users. The region's declining shrimp stocks couldn’t support the annual commercial harvest and steady sport fishing year-round, so a closure was necessary. The good news is that stocks have rebounded. Starting last year, Hoonah Sound is open to subsistence harvest with one pot per household allowed. At first the idea of a three-hour boat ride to set a pot hardly seemed worth it, but as soon as we pulled our first pot full of jumbo shrimp, my feelings changed. It’s an example of how subsistence priorities protect resources that can be enjoyed for years to come. We spent days harvesting shrimp and cooked a lovely paella over the fire. Watch the video here.
photo by Marsh Skeele
What else do Sitkans subsistence harvest? So much! After the herring harvest in early April comes seaweed in May. We have a plethora of delicious seaweeds, but my favorite is Nori. This Pyphora, or red algae, sits precariously on rocks with lots of surge and is harvestable only at low tide. On calm days, we scurry across the rocks like crabs to gather seaweed, which we dry and use to season our poke and rice. Next is the start of berry season. The first salmonberries ripen in late June, followed by blueberries and huckleberries through the end of August, when the sweetest alpine low-bush blueberries appear. September is deer-hunting season for many, but for those who don’t hunt, the forest comes alive with edible mushrooms. One of the advantages of living in one of the wettest places in the country is that wild mushrooms thrive here.
Yellowfoot or winter chanterelle mushrooms are plentiful, as are hedgehog mushrooms with their spiny gills. The beautiful golden chanterelles are around, but to find them you need to search a little deeper, and Sitkans keep their favorite spots secret.
For those of us with wetsuits and snorkeling gear, there are year-round delicacies if you’re willing to brave the cold water. Underwater treasures include rock scallops, sea urchins, and abalone, which can be harvested pretty much year round. (insert snorkel picture) Snorkeling in Sitka Sound is vastly different from the tropics. Instead of colorful little fish, we have a wealth of seaweed and a variety of invertebrates. I recommend a snorkel tour to see the world beneath the ocean’s surface, teeming with life.
In Sitka and across Alaska, subsistence harvest is more than just about filling our freezers. It connects us to the place we live. It’s about understanding the place we live and harvesting what we need and leaving more for tomorrow. We build off of the lessons of native stewardship and do our best to feed our families from the land. As our state balances tradition with modern pressures, the subsistence way reminds us to protect and care for the lands that nourish us.
Marsh Skeele
Marsh is our original fisherman and helped start Sitka Seafood Market over a decade ago. He grew up fishing with his family outside of Sitka and began his own fishing journey captaining the F/V Loon in 2011. Shortly thereafter at a dinner party sharing his catch, he met friends that figured out how to get his fish to the Midwest and Sitka Seafood Market was born. He loves finding the highest quality ingredients and sharing the stories of their harvest over a dinner party. You can find him fishing with his family in Sitka and searching for the next delicious piece of seafood to share with you.
