Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Tlingit People Concerning the Eulachon of Yakutat

Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) smelt are demonstrating widespread population declines throughout their home range in the Pacific Northwest, federally listed under ESA as “threatened” for the populations of Washington, Oregon, and California.  Known by various names, eulachon is an anadromous fish species, ranging from northern California to southwest Alaska.  Throughout this range, the population declines threaten the cultural roles of eulachon for many native communities.  In Yakutat, Alaska, eulachon are commonly known as ‘hooligan,’ or ‘saak’ in the Tlingit native language.  In recent years, eulachon are suffering from unexplained declines of spawning abundances in the rivers of the Yakutat Forelands.  To understand and address these declines, we sought traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to learn from the Tlingit elders of Yakutat.  Guided by a questionnaire, we held a documented conversation-style survey with four Tlingit elders, to learn from their knowledge and experiences of eulachon throughout their years.  This study supplements aerial surveys of eulachon populations in the Yakutat Forelands, conducted by the Yakutat Salmon Board in 2010.  Through transcription and analysis of the TEK survey content, we categorized the questionnaire findings.  Tlingit elders have remarked that there is a considerable decrease in spawning eulachon abundances over the past decade, supporting the general trend of eulachon declines along the Pacific coast.  Other results of the study indicate that there is a gap of eulachon knowledge between TEK of the Yakutat Tlingit and scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) of the published literature.  Further studies between TEK and SEK have strong potential of adding resourceful information in understanding, managing, and protecting present and future eulachon populations.