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Alaska has continually restructured its fisheries to prevent or delay overfishing and increase market share by limiting numbers of fishermen and boats. As restricted access programs become more prevalent, the lasting effects of programs already in place can serve as a useful means for predicting future effects of new fisheries restructuring plans. The Limited Entry Permit Plan of 1973 for Alaska's salmon fisheries was a defining moment for modern social relations among the predominantly fishing society of the Eastern Aleut, although its future impact was not well understood. The plan resulted in more than one limited entry system and exaggerated existing status differences, by conferring not only the right to fish but also a suite of social and political advantages. In the Aleut village of King Cove, Alaska, permit ownership has cemented differences between men in their ability to fulfill subsistence obligations, in leadership roles, in family structure, and in prosperity. The transfer of physical and intellectual property from fathers to sons has linked generations. Now, however, the system is limited in such a way that the knowledge and practices are being handed down, but the property is more difficult to obtain.
Key words: Aleut, limited entry permits, fisheries management, salmon
Introduction
In 1973, limited entry completely reorganized the Alaska salmon industry and, simultaneously, reorganized Eastern Aleut society. Alaska's salmon industry is once again facing restructuring because, even though Alaska is the world's leading producer of wild salmon, it is no longer the leading producer of salmon. Farmed fish have diminished Alaska's market share, prices have plummeted, and production costs have climbed (Ulmer and Knapp 2005). As Alaska and federal ocean managers continue to gravitate toward privatization, quotas, limited entry licensing, harvest cooperatives, permit stacking, and vessel and permit buyback programs as means of restructuring fishing and fisheries, many Alaskan fishermen have voiced concerns over the long-term ramifications of these plans to small coastal communities. They are particularly concerned about the barriers these systems set for future generations of harvesters and processors. While most agree that something must be done to make fisheries sustainable and still allow processors to compete globally, they also know that these restructuring plans change the face of fishing, and their communities, forever.
The Limited Entry Permit Plan, which assigned...