BETHEL, Alaska (AP) - Residents from the western Alaska village of Mekoryuk are seeking a larger musk oxen harvest to fit their subsistence lifestyle, as well as a more active management role.
Some 82 people in the village signed a petition asking for an allocation of more musk oxen for residents of Mekoryuk, KYUK (https://is.gd/NTKZVZ) reported.
Mekoryuk is a Cup’ig Eskimo community of about 200 located on Nunivak Island, 40 miles off the western coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea.
Residents recently met in Bethel with federal and state managers.
The current harvest is split between a registration hunt for cows and an expensive lottery for bulls that’s largely utilized by nonlocal sport hunters led by guides. For the past three years, managers have allowed just five cows for the local hunt. At the same time, they have issued at least 30 permits for bulls that mostly go to outsiders.
Residents in January unsuccessfully requested an emergency allocation from the Alaska Board of Game for more musk oxen.
“The way it stands now, they’re favoring a commercial enterprise over a subsistence way of living,” Mekoryuk resident Dale Smith said at the Bethel meeting.
Seeking a more active management role, members of Mekoryuk’s tribal council have formed a federally recognized tribal conservation district through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program allows groups to help establish conservation priorities and manage natural resources.
There are no predators on the island, where musk oxen were introduced in 1936.
A 1992 agreement set a goal to maintain a population there of 500 to 550 of the animals. Since 2009, the population has been below that level.
At the Bethel meeting, managers agreed to revise the agreement. A meeting is scheduled for March on Nunivak to discuss revisions.
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Information from: KYUK-AM, https://www.kyuk.org
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