Local Perceptions of the Sustainability of Alaska’s Highly Contested Cook Inlet Salmon Fisheries

Abstract Using a mixed set of ethnographic methods including interviews and a structured survey, we evaluate local perceptions about the sustainability of salmon fisheries among fishers of the Cook Inlet region of Alaska. A majority of residents report participating in these fisheries, but we find significant disagreement about their sustainability. Household income and the types of fishing practiced both influence people's responses, and many implicated specific user groups for overharvesting and/or for receiving unfair catch allocations. Drawing on the theoretical areas of information theory and political ecology, we argue that these findings reveal a complex interplay among the practical, social, and political aspects of how local resource users, or "local experts," develop and communicate their assessments of ecological conditions in a context of conflict. We conclude with notes on future research as it relates to the successful design of local-management and co-management solutions, especially in settings where resources are contested by stakeholders. Keywords: Alaskaco-managementenvironmentalityinformation theorylocal ecological knowledgesalmon fisheriessustainability Acknowledgments This research was generously supported by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Graduate School. The authors also thank Anne Beaudreau, Sustainable Homer, Megan Murphy, Quentin Fong, and the many fishers and other residents of the region who graciously supported us in this research.