| Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission |
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Valuable input and direction comes from the ANHSC commissioners about the best way to move forward
with harvest management.
After much discussion ANHSC staff was directed to facilitate the creation of management plans by helping
establish tribal ordinances, and ensuring self governance for the tribes.
Therefor the ANHSC is happy to announce of award of a grant from the BIA. These funds as well as funding
from NMFS have allowed the ANHSC to continue to research harvest management guidelines for coastal
Alaska Native communities for purposes of promoting local management of harbor seals, in conjunction with
data collected from the Harvest Assessment Program.
This project also continues work set forth in the mission statement of the ANHSC. The pilot project has
already begun and is taking place in the Kodiak Archipelago
MANAGEMENT PLANS
For harbor seals and other natural resources
Why:
1. Enhance Traditional Knowledge use and documentation
2. Significant increases in funding opportunities for communities
3. Helps guide development in habitat rich areas
4. Protection of resources by management before depletion
5. Growing human interaction from commercial fisheries, infrastructure, and tourism
6. Teaches local users, students, and others importance of subsistence resources
7. Can create new jobs
8. Demonstrates self-determination of community
9. Tribe or community can do research or work collaboratively through co-management with state
and federal governments
10. Plans can be flexible and designed by community members to reflect local customs and
traditional law
11. May improve local research needs, tribal enforcement, resource monitoring and education.
12. Endorses tribal authority to manage in the eyes of state, federal, and public critics while
maintaining local customs and traditions
How:
1. Use examples from other Alaskan tribes or other organizations with plans and authorize by tribal
statute
2. Find support through existing organizations that have expertise with specific resources or have
skills in building or expanding capacity
3. Indian Environmental Regulatory Enhancement Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-408) and many other
opportunities for grants
4. Bring forward information to tribal council or community forum
5. Use existing community human-resources
6. Consult elders, youth, and nearby tribes or communities – gives strength to management plans
in regional areas
7. Can vary by scale; local village level to regional
