The subsistence use of beluga whale in Cook Inlet by Alaska Natives, 1993

This report describes the subsistence use of beluga whale by Alaska Natives in the Cook Inlet area of southcentral Alaska. Information derives from interviews with beluga hunters by the Division of Subsistence, Alaska Department of Fish and Game between 1987-90 and 1993. The study was done in consultation with the Alaska and lnuvialuit Beluga Whale Committee with funding from National Marine Fisheries Service in 1993. As described in the report, beluga have been hunted for subsistence uses in Cook Inlet since before historic contact and continuing into the contemporary period. Currently, beluga are used by Dena’ina hunters, primarily from Tyonek, and resident lnupiat or Yup’ik hunters who have moved to the greater Anchorage area from communities where beluga are traditionally used. As many as 33 different households with beluga hunters were identified in the greater Anchorage area with a chain referral method, although most do not hunt each year. Beluga are taken for human consumption, and the beluga meat, skin, and oil are shared between families, within and outside of the southcentral region. Beluga are taken by hunters in shallow water associated with river channels or tidal mud flats, or in the deep water of the open inlet, primarily between mid-April and mid-October, using skiffs, harpoons, floats, and rifles. A well-established beluga hunting camp is located inside the mouth of the Sustina River. Based on a survey of 16 of 19 households known to have hunted beluga in Cook Inlet in 1993, an estimated 20 beluga were taken in Cook Inlet in 1993. Of these, 15 beluga (75 percent) were harvested and 5 beluga (25 percent) were struck and lost. This compares with take estimates ranging between 16-24 beluga from 1987-1993 in Cook Inlet. A few additional animals may be taken by Alaska Native hunters in Cook Inlet who live outside the greater Anchorage area, whose takes have not been systematically documented.