fish by subsistence users are not entirely known. Even 

 less is known about the harvest of other animals. 



A study based on partial data suggests the 

 consumption by Alaskan natives of foods that were 

 not sold through commercial channels in 1973 

 included the following:' 



Kind 

 of food 



Proportion 

 of total 

 "not- 

 purchased" 

 diet 



Mammals 



Fish, 

 shellfish 



Birds 



Berries, 

 greens, 

 roots, 

 vegetables 



49 percent Caribou — 

 44 percent 



Moose, seal — 

 33 percent 



46 percent Whitefish, chum 

 and pink 

 salmon — 

 54 percent 



Geese, ducks, 

 and ptarmigan 

 — 87 percent 



2 percent 



3 percent 



Little attention has been paid to the extent to 

 which nonmarketed animals are sources of food. It 

 seems likely, though, that they are an important 

 component of the national diet. In the face of rising 

 prices for marketed red meat, market-equivalent 

 values will undoubtedly continue to increase. 



Demands for Social Experiences 



Many believe it is important to maintain the 

 present diversity of cultures or ways of life in the 

 United States, either because the Nation will be 

 somehow better or stronger or simply because 

 citizens should be able to live in the manner they 

 choose. The right to harvest wildlife and fish is 

 critical to maintaining some cultures. For example, 

 the importance to Native Americans of subsistence 

 rights to fish and wildlife has been widely recognized 



Wild animals are an important source of food for natives in Alaska 

 and Canada and in a smaller way for many hunters and fishermen. 



in the past decade.'" Unfortunately, there are no 

 comprehensive measures of the extent of the needs 

 for the resources for this purpose. 



By contrast, recreational demands for wildlife and 

 fish have been the subject of numerous descriptive 

 studies. Substantial sums are spent each year for pro- 

 fessional guides, transportation, cameras, birdseed, 

 and a host of other items related to recreational 

 activities. The major kinds of activities for which 

 comparable national data are available are shown in 

 table 4.3." 



Fishing is the most popular consumptive activity. 

 Because of the relative abundance of warm water 

 habitats near population centers, the most sought- 

 after species are those adapted to warm waters; they 

 include panfish such as perch, black bass, catfish. 



'Thomas, M. E., V. H. Burke, and W. C. Thomas. Some mea- 

 sures of food availability consumption in Alaska. Agrico Exp. 

 Sta., Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. Tables 6 and 7. 1976. 



'"See, for example, Federal-State Land Use Planning Commis- 

 sion for Alaska. Summary of the conference on taking fish and 

 game resources to meet subsistence needs. Study 16. 19 p. memo. 

 Anchorage. 1974. 



I ' Unless noted otherwise, all descriptive data concerning recrea- 

 tionists and their characteristics are taken from U.S. Department 

 of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 1975 national survey of 

 hunting, fishing, and wildlife associated recreation (including 

 unpublished supporting statistical data). 9! p. Washington, D.C. 

 1977. Due to varying definitions and sampling problems, estimates 

 of numbers of participants vary widely among studies of this 

 nature and are not highlighted here. The relative importance of 

 various activities is believed to have been accurately estimated. 



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