Lessons for Fisheries Management
For the Pribilof Islands
This study sheds light on two important dynamics related to resource rights and development in the Pribilof Islands:
- 1.
Communities can offer only limited resistance to CDQ and ANCSA corporations, as these corporations own local resource rights.
- 2.
Pribilof Island residents have a very specific relationship with fishing (the desire for a day fishery) that differs from that of other Aleuts and fishermen elsewhere.
Taken together, these facts indicate that local autonomy is an important factor in successful development initiatives in the Pribilof Islands. Local goals and understandings are likely to be different than in many other regions and, thus, local oversight is crucial in the ability of these communities to achieve local goals and increase community well-being.
Broader Lessons
More broadly, this study provides four wider-reaching lessons for fisheries managers:
Supporting Sense of Place
Dependence
Agency
Improved Understanding
Development can support local senses of place. Projects that align with local place-making efforts increase community well-being. The key to ensuring development and place-making efforts align is ensuring local autonomy and empowerment. This allows residents to build capital, which can be leveraged to achieve local goals.