Investor Presentaiton
Subsistence
Subsistence--Alaska's original economy--remains an
important part of the economy of rural Alaska. People
in rural Alaska get much of their food from subsistence.
Subsistence is a vital part of Alaska Native culture.
Subsistence is difficult to quantify: it doesn't show up
in measures of Alaska's cash economy, such as
employment or Gross State Product data. Subsistence
faces challenges, including a limited resource base and
growing demands from sport and commercial users. A
longstanding and important political debate is
continuing over the relative roles of the federal and
state governments in Alaska subsistence policy.
Subsistence salmon
drying
Estimated annual wild food
harvest (pounds per person)
Nome census area
519
Bethel census area
592
Subsistence harvesting
of Beluga whales
NPS Photo
A woman at a subsistence
"fish camp"-an important
part of summer family life in
much of village Alaska
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