Ecologies of Sustainability in Alaska Fisheries

Commercial fisheries in Alaska are considered by many to be sustainability success stories, and this reputation is widely marketed. However, ongoing socioeconomic problems across the state, such as food insecurity, poverty, and the disenfranchisement of Alaska Natives from fishing rights seem to contradict the image of thriving communities that is being sold. Evident is a “tale of two Alaskas,” the contradictions of which illustrate how environmental values, when institutionalized, can be limited in definition and scope, thus obstructing meaningful social change. I provide three brief examples of persistent inequities in how the benefits of Alaska fisheries are allocated, inequities that arguably threaten the long-term sustainability of these and other natural resources in the state. These concerns are obscured, however, by marketing campaigns and initiatives to certify Alaska fisheries as sustainable by the standards for responsible fishing set by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Not simply the product of aggressive marketing, however, I argue that the story of sustainability in Alaska fisheries reflects a more fundamental challenge—a cognitive ecological framing of sustainability that is oriented to single species outcomes and that is assumptive of trade-offs between biological and societal goals. I contrast this with an alternative, participatory ecology of sustainability premised on the development of mutualistic, or win-win scenarios. I discuss how participation ecology can improve societal outcomes in Alaska, e.g., food sovereignty and security, while also improving the sustainability of fish and wildlife populations. Lessons from this discussion should be relevant to achieving progress toward sustainability and conservation issues anywhere, especially those involving contested resources among multiple sets of stakeholders.