Post Office Box , Anchorage, AK

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1 Inupiat Subsistence Whaling in Nuiqsut, Alaska Subsistence Research Coordination Workshop, Nuiqsut AK - 01/17/07 Michael Galginaitis, Applied Sociocultural Research Post Office Box , Anchorage, AK msgalginaitis@alaska.net

2 Acknowledgments Residents of Nuiqsut, for their hospitality on all of my visits, from 1982 through the present, and especially the whalers who have allowed me to accompany them to Cross Island for I have been privileged to stay so far with the Kittick, Akiviana (3 seasons), Oyagak, and Napageak crews while on Cross Island. Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) Minerals Management Service for sponsorship of many projects in Nuiqsut since 1982 (current contract Number CT-32149) BP Alaska Exploration and Shell for logistical assistance and help.

3 Bowhead Migration Route and Subsistence Harvest Areas -- Western Arctic Stock Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and the U.S. National Science Foundation; with the assistance of the NSB Department of Wildlife Management, the NSB Planning Department GIS Division, and the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium

4 Oil and Gas Infrastructure and Exploration on the North Slope, 2003 (with focus on Nuiqsut)

5 Alpine from Nuiqsut -- 5/13/04

6 Towing in a Whale (McCovey Prospect Drill Rig in Background) as seen from Cross Island, 2002

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8 Location Map, Landmarks, and Routes Between Nuiqsut and Cross Island BEAUFORT SEA Figure Miles August Km Harrison Bay Thetis Island Spy Island Oliktok Point Pingok Island Route between Nuiqsut & Cross Island Simpson Lagoon Northstar Oil Field West Dock Cross Island Nechelik Channel Alpine Oil Field Milne Point Oil Field Gwydyr Bay Prudhoe Bay Niakuk Narwhal Island Endicott Oil Field Pole Island Nuiqsut Kuparuk River Oil Field Kuparuk River Prudhoe Bay Oil Field Dalton Highway TAPS Deadhorse Foggy Island Bay Liberty Prospect Stockton Islands Tigvariak Island Bullen Point Mikkelsen Bay Badami Oil Field Maguire Islands ms14953_location.mxd

9 canimida Indicator Matrix for Decision Making, Task Order 7 MMS Issue Addressed Will OCS oil development activities at Northstar and/or Liberty result in changes to bowhead whale subsistence hunting or hunting success at Cross Island? Monitoring Hypotheses Methods Key Monitoring Result or Parameter for Decision Making* H1: Subsistence whaling activities and behaviors in the vicinity of Cross Island do not vary significantly over time. H2: Variation in subsistence whaling activities and behaviors (and more general subsistence activities) in the vicinity of Cross Island are not related to (caused by) by offshore oil developments at Northstar and/or Liberty. The first question is whether Cross Island subsistence whaling displays variation over time. The second is whether such variation can be attributed to offshore oil and gas industrial activities. Both general hypotheses will need to be implemented by more specific hypotheses based on measurable variables, described in methods. As a continuation of the ANIMIDA effort, systematic retrospective (2000, prior years as possible) and observational/interview data collection ( ) on: (a) number of whales taken, (b) GPS location of whale strikes (direction and distance from Cross Island), (c) number of crews, composition of crews, total number of crew, (d) periodic census of whaling participants on Cross Island, (e) duration of whaling (days of active whaling), (f) timing of whaling, (g) length of trips and area searched while whaling (possible GPS track), (h) catch per unit effort," (i) observations of whaling participants. Systematic retrospective and observational/interview data collection on: (a) Non-whaling subsistence activities on and near Cross Island (who, what, where, when), (b) observations of local subsistence users. NOTE: Systematic observation and recording of weather and ice conditions will also be required, as they directly affect the subsistence behavior in question. Time-series (every five minutes for the duration of whaling) readings from a weather station (temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction) will be collected for seasons after 2001 (2002 information spotty). Detailed information about industry activities at Northstar and Liberty will also need to be available (but compilation of same is not a part of this project). Will also need to consider informant explanations for changes in behavioral patterns. Annual tabular information on harvest levels and locations of subsistence resources taken on or near Cross Island. Hard copy map appended as required for clarification of location information. Annual tabular summary of people involved in whaling number of crews, size of each crew, number of active days whaling, number of crews/people present each day, estimation of total effort. Annual tabular summary of people involved in other subsistence activities number of people each day for each activity, estimation of total effort. Annual narrative summary of Cross Island whaling season and associated subsistence activities. Contractor will alert MMS COTR of any important trends or changes. GPS locations of whale sightings and strikes, and tracks of whale scouting trips. Maps (printouts) of same. This will be key statistics, datum/data, or data stream(s) selected from each Task Order which provide the most management-useful information for decision making.

10 Selected Measures of Cross Island Whaling, Metric Season Measure Type Whales Taken/Whales Struck and Lost count 3/0 4/1 4/0 3/0 1/0 4/0 Active Crews on Cross Island (maximum) count Scouting Boats on Cross Island (maximum) count Cross Island Population average Length of Season 1 count Weather Days count # days scouting 2 count # days whales seen 3 count # boat days 4 count Boats scouting/day average Length of trip (miles) average Duration of trip (hours:minutes) average 9:55 8:04 4:28 7:24 9:44 8:12 Furthest point from Cross Island (miles) average Strike distance from Cross Island (miles) average Strike Direction from Cross Island degrees 5 average Total Effort (Boat-Hours) 6 sum Number of days with at least one crew on Cross Island, includes day of arrival at and departure from Cross Island. 2 Number of days when at least one boat went out scouting for whales 3 Number of days when at least one crew saw whales while scouting from a boat. Blows were seen from Cross Island on a few nonscouting days, but are not included in these totals. 4 Each boat scouting for whales on any given day counts as one boat day regardless of the duration of the trip or if whales are seen or not. Thus if 2 boats scout on one day and 4 boats scout on the next, the total for the two days would be 6 boat days. 5 Due north is 0 degrees, due east is 90 degrees 6 Yearly total equals aggregate sum of duration of all scouting trips by all boats 7 One crew went to Cross Island well before other crews, so total season measures may be somewhat misleading. See 2004 Annual Report. 8 On one of these days, only one crew with one boat went scouting. 9 On two of these days, only one crew with one boat went scouting. On another day in 2005, this same boat went out sealing (no whale gear).

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