Increasingly researchers in environmental fields have begun to focus on the ways in which environmental concerns cross disciplinary, cultural, geographic, and knowledge boundaries. Fisheries, particularly those in the Arctic and sub-artic regions, exhibit a complex interplay of cultural, biological, political, and economic factors, which may not be suited to a single disciplinary investigation. One such fishery, that has experienced dramatic ecological and political changes over the course of the last century, is the Pacific Halibut (Hippoglosus stenolepis) fishery. This project will utilize a multi-sited and multi-methodological approach in order to investigate the history of the halibut fishery, surrounding the western region of Kodiak Island, Alaska. During the course of the project, the researcher will examine the complex interactions between the fishery, climate, and two groups who produce knowledge about the Pacific Halibut fishery: community members of Old Harbor, an Alaska Native fishing community on Kodiak Island, and the International Pacific Halibut Commission, the Seattle-based intergovernmental body that manages and conducts most of the scientific research on the fishery. Oral history methodologies, including interviews and participant observation, will be utilized to understand Old Harbor's history of the fishery and its role in the social and economic development of the region. In this way, the researcher hopes to gain insight into the historical and cultural context in which changes to the fishery take place.
In addition to the social-economic history of the Pacific Halibut fishery, the researcher will employ the technique of biochronology in order to develop a biological history of Pacific halibut growth in the Kodiak region. By examining the changing widths of increments found in halibut otoliths, the ways in which external factors such as climate, pollution, and exploitation act on fish populations will be reconstructed. Using the International Pacific Halibut Commission archived otoliths, a chronology will be built for approximately 100 years of growth.
It is the researcher's intent that the project will demonstrate the utility of biochronology as a tool for exploring the potential impacts of climate change on organisms over time and that halibut biochronology will provide key technical information to fishing communities and to fisheries biologists about the biological history of halibut populations in the region. In addition, the oral history component can provide important information about the community relationship with and experience of the halibut fishery which should be considered policy makers as they develop new fishery policies in the future, particularly in the face of large scale climatic changes.
This research will explore ways in which the community discourse about and relationship with the fishery compares to that of the scientific narratives and will seek ways to bring these perspectives together. It is firmly grounded in a developing body of knowledge where scientists have begun to focus on 'local' or 'traditional' knowledge categories for local ecological systems. In addition, they have begun to develop theoretical frameworks for bringing together scientific and local knowledge about the environment together. The potential findings from this research will not only provide local resource managers and communities with new insights into their resources, it will provide insights into current theoretical understandings of the environment, science, and the construction of local knowledge.
