**REPORT TITLE**: A Description of the Socioeconomic and Sociocultural
Systems of the Aleutian-Pribilof Islands Region.

**STUDY TITLE**: A Description of the Socioeconomic and Sociocultural
Systems of the Aleutian-Pribilof

Islands Region.

CONTRACT NUMBER(S): MMS: 14-12-0001-30229.

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska.

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA(S): Navarin Basin; St. George Basin; North
Aleutian Basin.

FISCAL YEAR(S) OF PROJECT FUNDING: 1985.

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: May 1986.

COST(S): FY 1985: \$143,829; CUMULATIVE PROJECT COST: \$143,829.

PROJECT MANAGER(S): Stephen R. Braund.

AFFILIATION: Stephen R. Braund & Associates.

ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1480, Anchorage, AK 99510.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S)\*: Stephen R. Braund.

KEY WORDS: Aleutian Islands; Pribilof Islands; St. Paul; St. George;
Akutan; commercial fishing; Northern fur seal; NMFS; ANCSA; subsistence;
economics; social organization; political systems; land use; OCS.

ACCESS NUMBER: 30229

**BACKGROUND**: This research was sponsored by the Minerals Management
Service to update information on current conditions and trends of change
in the socioeconomic and sociocultural systems of the Aleutian/Pribilof
Islands region.

**OBJECTIVES**: The objectives of the study were: 1) identification of
the socioeconomic and sociocultural systems sensitive to changes from
outer continental shelf (OCS) petroleum exploration and production
activities; 2) descriptive overviews of the social, cultural, and
economic systems active at the community level in Akutan, St. Paul, and
St. George; 3) collection and analysis of current data on socioeconomic
conditions at the regional level; and 4) description of the
sociocultural context within which the regional socioeconomic system
operates. The study team found that the regional economy continues to be
dominated by commercial fishing and processing, with most revenue from
local industries leaving the area. The Pribilof communities are
undergoing a transition from being largely government controlled and
dependent on the commercial fur seal harvest to developing local
economies based on tourism, commercial fisheries, and OCS and marine
support industries. Field research was conducted July and August, 1985
in Akutan, St. Paul, St. George.

**DESCRIPTION**: While the regional economy has been consistently
dominated by commercial fishing and processing in recent years, major
changes in the political, economic, and social systems of the region\'s
villages have occurred. The most dramatic changes have occurred in St.
Paul and St. George. The termination of government fur seal harvests
have forced these villages to develop local economies based on other
resources, including OCS support industries.

**STUDY RESULTS**: Categories of data presented in the report include an
economic profile of the region as well as community level economic,
demographic, land status, facilities and services, social organization,
domestic economic, and political systems data for Akutan, St. Paul, and
St. George.

**REGIONAL ECONOMY**: The economy of the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands
region is based on extraction of the region\'s abundant marine
resources. Commercial fishing and processing dominate the economy and
are controlled primarily by outside fishermen. Consequently, the
majority of wealth derived from area resources continues to leave the
region.

In contrast, the formation of traditional councils, village
corporations, and municipal governments in recent years has increased
local political and economic control. These institutions have broadened
employment opportunities in construction (of capital projects and
business ventures), administration and service delivery, and fishing (in
St. Paul and St. George only, through guaranteed loans to fishermen for
purchasing boats and gear). All three study communities view harbor
development as the next step to building a local economy in which
residents are competitive with non-local fishermen while maintaining
their traditional ties to the resource base.

Most households rely on cash income to purchase subsistence equipment
and to meet household needs. However, the instability of income sources
and significant increases in household expenses have resulted in the
continued reliance on locally obtained fish and game. The cultural
importance of subsistence activities has therefore remained high.

**AKUTAN**: A preferred base of operations for floating king crab
processors in the 1970\'s, this Native community was seasonally
inundated by non-local processing personnel. While Akutan enjoyed some
economic benefits from this industry, intense exposure to new lifestyles
incurred social and political changes. The longstanding traditional
council, led by a chief of many decades, lost much of its influence as
the city government and village corporation, led by younger, more
business-oriented individuals, became the dominant political structures.
Closure of the king crab industry resulted in a decline in the city\'s
tax base and fishing-related employment for residents. Whereas residents
relied on processing work in past decades, jobs created by the city and
village corporation are now preferred, as are crew positions on crab and
salmon boats. The few residents with skiffs harvest most subsistence
foods and share them extensively. Akutan remains an informal,
kin-oriented community.

**PRIBILOF ISLANDS**: St. Paul and St. George isolated island
communities that, until 1983, were largely controlled by the federal
government in the course of operating the fur seal harvest. The
government terminated commercial seal harvests and withdrew from the
islands in 1983, leaving local organizations (cities, IRA councils,
village corporations, and school district) to assume responsibility for
local affairs and develop an independent economy. Using funds dedicated
to this transition, both villages are currently developing commercial
fishing, marine support services, tourism, and oil and gas support
industries; consequently, resident employment levels have been high.
Both villages are developing harbors, halibut fleets, and processing
plants. A new oil and gas support base on St. Paul employs residents and
has had minimal negative impact on the community. An alternative support
base on St. George has had positive impacts in its first year. Though
reduced to subsistence sealing only, the seal harvest on both islands
retains characteristics of the commercial harvest and remains an
important local tradition.

\*P.I.\'s affiliation may be different than that listed for Project
Manager(s).