Alaska has 229 Federally-Recognized Tribal Governments, around 174 village corporations, 12 regional non-profit organizations, 12 regional Alaska Native corporations, and six Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program members.
NOAA Fisheries is committed to strengthening our relationship with Tribal governments and organizations. We recognize our responsibility to work with Tribal governments and their representatives, and our co-management partners when research has potential Tribal implications, such as overlapping with subsistence fisheries.
Our goal is to keep Tribal partners and communities informed of our research (start to finish), and develop mitigation measures as needed. Through our engagement efforts, we seek to share, listen, learn, and collaborate with our Tribal partners. We are developing a consultation protocol to further strengthen these efforts.
In 2020, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center hired a Tribal Research Coordinator to support this important work. The coordinator is helping Alaska Fisheries Science Center scientists and others across NOAA Fisheries better understand Indigenous community structure, different ways of knowing, and cultural differences in communications within Alaska. This includes providing resources and training, as needed, to help scientists more successfully engage with Tribal governments and Indigenous organizations in their communities. The Tribal Research Coordinator plays a key role in helping distribute regular information about our survey operations and related science. As a scientist, the Tribal Research Coordinator also participates in our field research and is knowledgeable about the scope of our work. Be sure and check out our Tribal Research Coordinator’s blog, A Voyage Through the Arctic.
Survey and Research Engagement Protocol
All Alaska Fisheries Science Center staff are required to follow a three-pronged engagement protocol when working with Tribal Governments and rural communities and operating in areas where there is the potential to overlap with subsistence hunting activities. The foundational principles are to share, listen, learn, and collaborate.
- Conduct conversations in advance of the planned survey or research and develop mitigation measures as needed.
- Offer virtual, in person if possible, meetings to potentially affected Tribal governments
- Develop and distribute Research Briefs and other outreach materials
- Conduct interviews or presentations via local radio, newspaper, and seminars (e.g., Strait Science, requesting permission to present on agendas of relevant co-management agencies)
- Provide regular updates during survey or research operations
- Send emails via interested parties list serve and share information via NOAA Fisheries social media and website (e.g., Bottom Temperature and Trawl Survey Progress Maps)
- Share preliminary results with local communities in a timely manner
- Offer virtual, in person if possible, meetings to potentially affected Tribal governments
- This includes briefing communities on results, and our own staff and leadership on how well the communications plan worked. We also share lessons learned and resources.
- Conduct interviews or presentations via local radio, newspaper, and seminar forums (e.g., Strait Science)
- Produce a plain language summary survey or research project of preliminary results
- Offer virtual, in person if possible, meetings to potentially affected Tribal governments
Scientists must develop a communications plan as part of their fish and ecosystem survey/research project planning process that incorporates this three-pronged engagement approach outlined in its Letter of Authorization to address our requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The communications plan should include the purpose for the research, how the data will be used, a general map of the research area, and any subsistence mitigation measures.
While outside the scope of this Letter of Authorization, the Center engagement protocol is also being used by Marine Mammal Laboratory Division as it is important for all Center divisions to take a consistent approach to working with Alaska Indigenous communities. (more information in co-management section)
The protocol was developed with community input and reflects our intention to engage with communities. Our hope is that by having a continuing dialogue throughout the project duration, scientists can start to build relationships with Tribal members and representatives and identify potential opportunities for collaborative studies.
Key Survey and Research Web Pages
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center provides information about our fish, crab, marine mammal and ecosystem surveys, and other field research on the NOAA Fisheries website.
- Alaska Fish surveys
- Alaska Marine Mammal Field Research
- Groundfish Assessment Program Bottom Trawl Surveys
Consultation
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center is working with the Alaska Regional Office to develop a consultation protocol to support our government-to-government relations with Alaska Tribal governments. Questions pertaining to consultation may be directed to Marjorie.Mooney-Seus@noaa.gov.
Co-Management Partnerships
Section 119 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (Public Law 103-238) allows NOAA Fisheries or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to establish agreements with Alaska Native Organizations (ANOs), including, but not limited to, Alaska Native Tribes and tribally authorized co-management bodies. Individual co-management agreements shall incorporate the spirit and intent of co-management through close cooperation and communication between federal agencies and the ANOs, hunters and subsistence users. Agreements encourage the exchange of information regarding the conservation, management, and utilization of marine mammals in U.S. waters in and around Alaska.
Collaborative Communications
We recognize that Tribal Governments are often approached by numerous federal, state, and academic institutions to engage or consult on planned research activities in the Arctic. As a result, AFSC participates in the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) efforts to coordinate information sharing with Indigenous communities. IARPC, federal agencies, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) compile and communicate planned research expedition dates and routes, research goals, and mooring locations to Indigenous communities in the Arctic. The hope is that through this coordinated effort, researchers can use this information to coordinate their activities and that communities can use it to understand what vessels are in their waters and how to contact them if necessary.
We contributed to Bering Science (2020-2023), which was produced and distributed by AOOS and other partners. The report provided summaries of planned and completed federal, state and academic research efforts in the Bering Sea. It was discontinued based on community feedback that more localized information was needed.
Alaska Fisheries Science Center is now in the process of developing a joint newsletter with NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office that will be distributed to Indigenous communities across Alaska to keep them informed of regulatory actions and research activities.
Education
Over the past 50 years, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center has collaborated with educators and partner organizations across Alaska to provide students with science education, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities. More recently, efforts have been focused on increasing opportunities for Alaska Native students to take part in NOAA internships and STEM programs and co-developing projects.
The following examples demonstrate our efforts to support the development of a diverse future workforce for NOAA Fisheries in the Alaska Region.
- Develop and support internship opportunities for high school and college students in partnership with organizations such as the Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) Summer Internships program, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) Summer Bridge Internship program, and other internship programs through NOAA and universities. Since 2022, we have provided nine student internships through this effort.
- Provide K-8 educational opportunities (e.g., Science Camps at our facilities and in-class room virtual learning experiences which integrate different knowledge systems through NOAA Live Alaska. Since NOAA Live Alaska started in 2020, we have reached more than 100 classrooms and approximately 4500 students in rural Alaska communities).
- Participate in Alaska community education events such as Bering Sea Days (2010-2019) on St. Paul Island, University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus Ecology Explorers summer course for high school students in Nome (2023), BARC Science Fair in Utqiagvik (2022, 2024), Akutan education event (2023), Kodiak Lab open-house (2024).
- Develop culturally-relevant educational materials and school curricula. A recent example of this is dulse curriculum developed in collaboration with the Klukwan community, the Alaska Regional Office and AFSC that incorporates both western science and Indigenous Knowledge.
- Share AFSC science and research mission with rural communities through our new Facebook Live Programming where we provide a glimpse into the research being done.
Socio-Economic Science
Multiple Knowledge Systems is one of the seven focal areas for our Socio-Economic Program in Alaska. Much of this team’s work is to explore ways to connect different knowledge systems to foster stronger collaborations and partnerships at a time when Alaska is experiencing rapid and unprecedented ecological and social change, requiring the best available information to support responsive decision-making.
Equity and Environmental Justice
In 2023, NOAA Fisheries rolled out its first Equity and Environmental Justice Plan, requiring all its regional offices and science centers to develop regional implementation plans. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center is working with the Alaska Regional Office to develop the Alaska Equity and Environmental Justice Implementation Plan, which is expected to be released in the Fall of 2024. While broader than Indigenous Engagement, it provides a guide for serving all communities more equitably and effectively. We hope to continue to refine this document with further input from our Tribal partners and underrepresented communities across Alaska.
Alaska Indigenous Engagement Program Grants
In 2023, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of $1 million for multi-year funding opportunities distributed through the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Indigenous Engagement Program to support remote Alaska communities. This investment — funded by the Inflation Reduction Act — will help NOAA Fisheries advance efforts to promote climate resilience and food security in remote Alaska communities, strengthen collaboration and build capacity within tribal governments and Indigenous communities, and engage Indigenous Knowledge holder voices in NOAA Fisheries science.
This opportunity will enable entities working to benefit Indigenous Knowledge holders, including Tribes and Alaska Native community members, to advance equity and environmental justice — including just treatment, equal opportunities and environmental benefits for all people and communities, and respect for Tribal sovereignty. Through this effort, we hope to support research projects that address community concerns while enabling NOAA Fisheries to meet its research mission through collaborative and co-produced research.
Specifically, funding is intended to
- Support existing Indigenous Knowledge Networks to build capacity in remote Arctic communities in line with NOAA Fisheries Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy. (e.g., environmental monitoring and knowledge-sharing workshops)
- Elevate Indigenous Knowledge in existing science for a better understanding of how changing climate conditions affect living marine resources.
- Conduct collaborative and co-produced research with academic, international and Indigenous partners.
Contacts:
Marjorie “Maggie” Mooney-Seus, Communications Program Manager, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Mabel Baldwin-Schaeffer, Tribal Research Coordinator, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
