ANSC Newsletter Vol. 4.1 - Alaska Native Science Commission

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1The Nenets (Continued from page 1)LISTENING & LEARNINGPAGE 2brigades following a set migrationroute and rarely did they overlapwith others as they migrated north inthe summer and south in the winter.I learned how to make Nardi,(sleds), set up mya (chooms or tepees)and appreciate how lucky theyare and we are to live as we do today.The Nenets are proud to havemaintained their culture and they area wonderful model to use in knowinghow importantit is to continueliving andpassing on ourown culture today.What I experiencedin thistime was amazing. The majorityof Nenets stillspeak their language,followtheir traditionalways of life andcontinue to passon their culturalheritage.To experience living with themallowed me to see how important itis to preserve,maintain and continuesharing andpassing on our culturalheritage asNatives.To experience living withthem allowed me to see howimportant it is to preserve,maintain and continue sharingand passing on our culturalheritage as Natives. “This note onlytouches on the surfaceof all that IThis note onlytouches on thesurface of all thatI experienced, butit is important foryou to know thereare other culturesthat even in hardtimes have beenable to maintainand perpetuate their heritage.More images can be viewed at thefollowing web page:www.thearctic.is/Phototour/Sven%20Haakanson.htm or if you want tolearn more about who the Nenets arecontact me at the Alutiiq Museum inKodiak, Alaska at 907-486-7004.NW Regional Meeting (Continued from page 2)tional Science Foundation were inattendance.The meeting participants includedElders, hunters, gatherers, Nativescientists, the City of Kotzebue, theNorthwest Arctic Borough, KotzebueIRA, Manillaq, Deering CityCouncil, Unalakleet Tribe, NortonSound Health Corporation,Savoonga, Native Village of Elim,NANA Regional Corporation, NativeVillage of Shungnak, KianaTraditional Council, Kotzebue EldersCouncil, Point Hope, AggalukTrust, National Park Service, UAF-Chuckchi Campus, East CarolinaUniversity, University of AlaskaFairbanks, US Fish and Wildlife,and Alaska Fish and Game.Meeting facilitator, Patricia Cochran,Executive Director of theANSC, provided guidance, whichincluded discussions on promotingNative co- principal investigators;fish abnormalities; cysts, death, andskin irregularity with marine mamSven Haakanson Jr. is the director of the AlutiiqMuseum in Kodiak, AK, and serves as a commismals;the increase of bear andbeaver; the increase of willow trees;the migration and sickness of caribou;the impactof climatechange;and the causeand effect ofvarious contaminants.Drs. TerryChapin andGary Kofinasof the UniversityofAlaska Fairbankspresented research on climatechange and how it is affecting theArctic, and the migration routes ofcaribou herds in Alaska and Canada.The presentations were ofgreat interest and many commentsand questions were asked. A list of38 research projects that are beingcarried out in the region and a listwas handed out to the participantsPatricia Cochran reviews a list of research projectsgoing on in Northwest (NW) Alaska with regionalmeeting participantsduring the meeting. The researchprojects are being conducted by theNational Science Foundation, AlaskaDepartment ofFish and GameDivision ofSubsistence,University ofNew York, TheNational ParkService, and USFish and WildlifeService andare just a sampleof the newarea research.The Alaska Native communitiesvoiced their concerns and providedsuggestions about the methods andtypes of research that are being conductedwithin their communities.Their contributions will be compiledinto a regional report. After reviewsby the participants, the regional reportwill be provided to the National(Continued on page 3)

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGPAGE 3NW Regional Meeting (continued from page 2)The Alaska Native communitiesvoiced their concerns and providedsuggestions about the methods andtypes of research that are being conductedwithin their communities.Their contributions will be compiledinto a regional report. After reviewsby the participants, the regional reportwill be provided to the NationalScience Foundation and others andadded to ANSC’s library and website.Additionally, the report will bepart of a Community Regional Re-Calendar of EventsSealaska Kusteeyi ProgramUniversity of Alaska SoutheastJuneau, AlaskaAugust 4-15, 2003Roy Iutizi-Michell907-586-9272r oy.iutzimitchell@sealaska.comANSC STAFFPatricia CochranExecutive DirectorNancy EdtlBusiness & Program ManagerKim LemingProject Development CoordinatorTungwenuk (Gregory Nothstine)System AdministratorAaron Peters, Student InternChristina Wilson, Student InternRegion X DHHSTribal ConsultationAnchorage Sheraton HotelAnchorage, AlaskaAugust 8-9, 2003Lorena Sklonberg907-568-6006lskonberg@anhb.orgTanana Chiefs ConferenceWellness GatheringChena River Convention CenterFairbanks, AlaskaAugust 11-14, 2003Susie Frantz907-452-8251, x314154 th ArcticScience ConferenceUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AlaskaSeptember 22-24, 2003Jennifer Risse907-474-5365risse@giseis.alaska.eduNorth Pacific Research BoardHotel Captain CookAnchorage, AlaskaOctober 1-2, 2003Dr. Clarence Pautzke907-278-6772cpautzke@nprb.org32 nd AnnualNorth American Associationfor Environmental EducationConferenceAnchorage, AlaskaOctober 7-11, 2003Eric Wade907-376-0970http://naaee.org/conferences/indexAlaska Federation ofNatives Annual ConventionEgan Convention CenterAnchorage, AlaskaOctober 20-25, 2003907-274-3611http://www.nativefederation.org/Alaska Native Health BoardAnnual MeetingAnchorage, AlaskaNovember 4-6, 2003907-562-6006

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGMeet Mr. Charlie Johnson, ANSC’s NewCommissioner of Circumpolar Arctic ResearchPAGE 4Charlie Johnson was born inWhite Mountain, Alaska and is amember of the White MountainTribal Government, White MountainNative Corporation, and BeringStraits Native Corporation. He ismarried with three children andcurrently living in Nome, Alaska.He earned his Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Math and Business Administrationfrom the University ofOregon in Eugene.Presently, he is the ExecutiveDirector of the Alaska NanuuqCommission and responsible forrepresenting polar bear villages, thedevelopment of co-management andconservation programs with govern-ment agencies,and the negotiationof conservationtreaties withRussia and theNatives of Russia.Additionally, heserves as theChief Commissionerof the BeringStraits RegionalCommissionin developingvisa freetravel for Natives of Alaska and Chukotka(Russia) under an agreementsigned by Presidents Bush and Gorbichev.He is also a member of theSustainable Task Force, InternationalL to R: Patricia Cochran, CharlieJohnson, and Elaine AbrahamArctic Science Committee,which develops criteriaand recommendations forpolicy and funding agenciesfor research in ArcticSustainable Developmentpolicy in order to provideguidance to the eight nationArctic Council.Past positions he held include:Commissioner, USArctic Research Commission;Executive Director ofthe Eskimo Walrus Commission;Vice-President, Alaska-Inuit Circumpolar Conference; andthe President of the Bering StraitsNative Corporation.Ms. Taqulik Hepa, New Commissioner of Arctic ResearchMs. TaqulikHepa was bornand raised inBarrow, Alaska.She grew upliving a subsistencebased lifestyleand hasgreat respect forher traditionaland culturalway of life. ParticipatinginMs. Hepa holding a bear skullsubsistence hunting activities withher family has taught her many valu-able lessons in subsistence survivalskills.Currently, Ms. Hepa servesas the Deputy Director for theDepartment of Wildlife Managementfor the North SlopeBorough. In this capacity, sheis in contact with many localpeople and outside agenciesdealing with subsistence relatedissues. She serves asone of two Project Coordinatorswho designed and implementedthe NSB Subsistence Harvest Documentation Project.She is a member to the followingBoards and Commissions: the ArcticResearch Consortium of the U.S.,Gates of the Arctic National Parkand Preserve Subsistence ResourceCommission, and Barrow ArcticScience Consortium. Taqulik caresdeeply for the protection of her environmentand subsistence resourcesand wishes to expand her opportunitiesto participate in the advancementof research programs in theArctic.Meet Ms. Nirvana Ramos, ANSC’s New Student AdvisorMs. Nirvana E. Ramosis the daughter of CharmainRamos and granddaughterto Elaine Abraham,both of Yakutat.She belongs to the RavenMoiety, Copper River Clanfrom the Owl House. Sheis the daughter of the Daak Taan,Granddaughter of the Coho Clan, andGreat Granddaughter of the TeikWeidi (Brown Bear). She is memberof the Mt. Saint EliasDance Group of Yakutat,Alaska.In high school she representedSealaska youthand was elected by herpeers as chair of theAlaska Federation of Natives’ YouthCouncil.In 1994 and 1995, she completedtwo workshops held at EllamekElicaraq Summer Camp that focusedon Aerospace and Biology. In 1996and 1997, she received multiple yearawards and was recognized in“Who’s Who Among American HighSchool Students.”She currently is an Architect &Engineering major at UAA and aCivil Engineering Intern at AlyeskaPipeline Service Company.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 LISTENING & LEARNING PAGE 5Meet Ms. Viola Stepetin, ANSC’s New Student AdvisorAang, (Hello in Aleut)My name is ViolaJoan Stepetin and I ama Student Advisor forthe Alaska Native ScienceCommission. Iam from the PribilofIsland of St Paul. Thatis my father's homeand my mother is fromAtka on the AleutianChain. At present, Iam studying science technology andcivil engineering at the Universityof Alaska, Anchorage.In January, I traveled to Kotzebuefor my first Board and regionalmeeting. I learned how the Boardoperates and their goals along withthe mission statement and howthese goals andobjectives can bemet. This was arewarding and excitinglearning experiencefor me.While in Kotzebue,I met local Eldersfrom the NorthwestRegion, representativesfrom the NationalScienceFoundation and scientists performingvarious research projects in theregion.I learned the roles and interactionsof these organizations and sawhow changes would better serve theNative people of Alaska. I alsolearned of the challenges that are inthe future for the Board andAlaska. However, after spendingthree days with the Board membersand staff I have confidence that thechallenges will be met.My personal experience was spiritualgrowth. I was surrounded bystrong and courageous Alaska Nativeleaders. I am gaining strength andconfidence from them by watching,listening and learning. It is refreshingto be on the same team and speakthe same language regarding Nativeissues and concerns.I am proud to be part of the AlaskaNative Science Commission Boardand will strive to contribute as muchas I can and make the most of my roleas a student advisor.Kobuk Watershed Stewardship ProjectBy Christina Wilson,Student InternThe Kobuk Watershed StewardshipProject, managed by theState of Alaska Department ofNatural Resource’s Alaska Soiland Water Conservation District,is assisting five rural communitiesin protecting their water quality.Through a variety of water activitiessuch as, data collection, communitytraining on stewardshipconcepts, and increased communicationwith agencies and organizations,the much needed protectionis being provided.The project goals are:• Document present day conditionsof the Kobuk River waterquality and start the continuousmonitoring program,• Localize delivery of technicalsupport for watershed stewardship,andIncrease localcapacity in the Kobuk Water-shed for watershed stewardship.There are four main reasons thevillages decided to start a programto protect their water quality:1) expanding communities, thepopulation of the Kobuk hasgrown from 1,091 in 1980 to 1,440people today, and accompanyingthis growth is increased pressureon subsistence resources and thedrinking water, 2) tourism is on arise, this puts pressure on waterresources with in the watershed,3) mining is becoming a problemin the area due to several richmineral deposits within theKobuk River and 4) there is nowater quality data for the KobukWatershed because the watershedis relatively pristine, but no testinghas been done to validate this.The Alaska Soil and Water ConservationDistrict is currently scheduled toThe Alaska Soil and Water ConservationDistrict is currently scheduled tovisit the Kobuk to talk about fundingfor the program and plan a summer tripfor data collection. The villages areinviting, the Department of EnvironmentalConservation, Maniilaq NativeAssociation, and the National Park Serviceto inform them about the projectand see what other resources are availablefor this effort.For further information please contactRachel Morse at 271-2424 ext. 108or rmorse@alaskaswcds.org.•Christina was an intern at the Alaska Soil& Water Conservation District. She iscurrently studying for a Journalism Degreeat UAA.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGPAGE 6Meet Mr. Aaron Peters, Intern Alaska Native Science CommissionMeet Mr. Aaron Peters, a newintern with the Alaska Native ScienceCommission. He was born inGalena and raised in Ruby, asmall Athabascan village in theheart of Interior Alaska. Hismother’s name is Mary Peters. Hehas three sisters and one brother.He graduated in 1997 with honorsas the salutatorian from theMerreline A. Kangas School inRuby. After high school, he joinedthe Air-force. After completingbasic training in San-Antonio,Texas, he went on to the Air ForcePolice Technical School at LacklandAir Force Base, Texas. Upongraduation from Technical school,his first assignment was at KirtlandAir Force Base, in New Mexico.In New Mexico for three consecutiveyears, hewas granted a topsecretclearance andable to see thingsthat many ordinarypeople (civilians) arenot able to see.He credits his Airforceexperience as agreat way to learnresponsibility, attainnew world views,and discipline. While stationed inNew Mexico, he attended the Universityof New Mexico as a parttimestudent. After his tour of duty,he worked for Alyeska Pipeline ServiceCompany as a security officerin Valdez, Alaska.Currently, he is in his third yearas a biology majorat the University ofAlaska Anchorage.He received twocompetitive scholarshipsfrom theAlaska NativeTribal Health Consortium.In myfree time, I enjoycross-country running/skiing,reading,hiking, mountainbiking, volunteering for differentorganizations, and I especiallyenjoy spending time with family andfriends. I am looking forward toworking with and meeting all of you.Local Residents and Scientists Work as a Team to Understand Arctic ChangeBy Terry Chapin and Gary Kofinas, Institute ofArctic Biology, University of Alaska FairbanksIt is not news to local residents that theArctic is changing. What is exciting,however, is that local residents anduniversity or agency scientists often seedifferent parts of this picture. By combiningour observations we are morelikely to understand what has happenedin the past and to predict how thingsmay change in the future.The climate of the Arctic is warmingmore rapidly than any place on Earth,but this warming does not occur everyyear or in every place. For example,the climate warms more rapidly inAlaska than in eastern Canada. Theclimate switches about once a generation(20 years) between relatively warmand relatively cool periods. On average,however, warming in the Arctic isoccurring more rapidly at present thanat any time in at least the last 400years. The climate has also becomeless predictable. There are two majorclimate systems in Alaska: the arctic airmass, which is cold, and the temperateair mass, which extends south to thelower 48 and is much warmer. Theboundary between these air masses inwinter tends to lock onto either theAlaska Range (making interior and westernAlaska cold) or the Brooks Range(making these regions warm). Every timethe boundary between these air massesmoves, the temperature changes by 10-20degrees. Frequent changes in the locationof this boundary explain why theclimate has been so unpredictable andwhy the changes in climate of this regionare so large. Alaska spends more of itstime with a temperate air mass than itused to do.This climate warming causes almosteverything else to change. However, inmany cases local residents know the patternsand causes of these changes betterthan do the scientists who study arcticchange, because local residents spendmore time on the land and see moreplaces. For example, scientists have noticedthat the forest is slowly moving intothe tundra in the Seward Peninsula andthe Noatak and that the tundra is becoming more shrubby, but local residentsmay have the best information on wherethese changes occur and why. If thesechanges are common, they could causethe climate to warm more rapidly, becausetrees and shrubs absorb more heatthan tundra and cause the local climate tobecome warmer.The ice and the groundare changing too. Sea ice is thinner andless predictable. On land, permafrost isbeginning to thaw in places like the SewardPeninsula or interior Alaska where itis already warm. Satellite images showthat lakes are drying up in many places.We need to work with local residents tounderstand where this has happened andwhat other ecological changes are tied tothis.Finally, the warmer climate has causedfire to occur more frequently. The areaburned has doubled in the last 20 years.Local residents know from direct experiencethe impact of wildfire on habitat andwildlife. By working together as a teamlocal residents and scientists have a betterchance of understanding why thesechanges are happening and what willhappen in the future.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGPAGE 7Alaska Native Fish, Wildlife,Habitat, and Environment Summit Projectby Larry MerculieffThis past year, the Rural AlaskaCommunity Action Program (RurALCAP) hosted the first Alaska NativeFish, Wildlife, Habitat, and EnvironmentSummit. Participants includedAlaska Native Elders, hunters,gatherers, fishers, tribal andother leaders. The purpose of theSummit was to take a “snap-shot” ofthe condition of fish, wildlife, habitat,and environment around thestate, compare information to thelast fifty years, and develop recommendationsfor what communitiesneed to do to deal with emergentchallenges and issues.Athabascans report lower waterlevels in Interior lakes and streams,with consequent effects on fish,birds, beaver, caribou, and otherwildlife populations. Tlingit, Haida,and Tsimpsian Elders note adversechanges to forest ecologies from humanactivities. Siberian Yupiit reportdifficulties in forecastingweather due to major environmentalchanges. Inupiat and CentralYupiit report changes in sea icethickness, migrating patterns ofwhales, rising water levels causingcoastal erosion, large seabird dieoffs,and declining populations ofsea birds and walrus. Alutiiq,Aleut, and Yupiit peoples observesteady declines of sea lions, furseals, harbor seals, sea otters, fourspecies of eider ducks, arctic loons,cormorants, prey fishes, and certainspecies of salmon. ThroughoutAlaska, Native hunters are notingoff-colored meat, changes in taste,or unusual lesions in large numbersof fish and wildlife.The species experiencing severeand sustained declines in theirpopulations are (and for thousandsof years have been) an integral partof the way of life, cultures, community-wellness,and local economiesof rural Alaska, and are essential tomaintaining the integrity of marineand terrestrial ecosystems. Nativecultures derive food, nutrition, ethicsand values of stewardship, language,code of conduct, songs,dances, ceremonies, rites of passage,history, and a sense of placeand spirituality from the lands andwaters they are connected to. Wildlifedeclines of the magnitudes indicatedby Alaska Native reports constitutea critical threat to the healthand well-being of rural communities,and to the economic and culturalviability of all river, coastal,and inland communities throughoutAlaska.The “professors” of the Nativeworld, the Elders, fault the Cartesian-basedmanagement paradigmsand decision-making processes forsuch things as growing pollution inthe rivers from outboard motor petroleumdischarges, noise pollutionfrom growing numbers of planesand boats, harassment and harmingof fish by “catch-and-release” andtagging programs, wanton waste byindustrial trawling fleets throwingall sorts of fish and other marineorganisms overboard dead or dying,contamination of tundra and watersby airborne pollutants, and a completelack of understanding of thesensitivity and connectivity of allthings on this planet. The AlaskaNative Elders are not reluctant topoint out that such widespread degradationof environment and diminishingwildlife did not exist whenthey were children, but began withthe introduction of these fish andwildlife management regimes andgrowing human caused disturbances.The reports of Alaska Nativessound an alarm to the world that itmust wake up and pay attentionbecause these trends are not isolatedto Alaska, and the changesthey portend for this planet arehuge. The Alaska Native Eldersknow that humans can cause thingsto change dramatically and quicklyin the environment. They understandthat the progression charts ofthe scientists attempting to predictchanges in the environment fail totake into account the cumulativeand collective impacts of changeand how the synergy of the “parts”can result in very rapid shifts in thewhole environment.Who better to sound an alarmthan people who have an intimateand sustained connection to the environment,like Alaska Natives.Their cultures have survived andthrived for thousands of years inthe same ecosystems because theynotice subtle changes to the smallestthings that forewarn of consequencesif certain behaviors or actionsdo not change.The Elders understand that everythingis connected, including humans.They understand and feel anurgency to develop real partnershipswhere their ways of knowingand others are brought togetherwith respect and reciprocity. Theenvironmental challenges are sodaunting that we must find ways toeliminate the barriers between peoplesand to tap into the worldviewsand wisdom of all cultures. Indeed,for this reason, we may find thatcultural diversity is as important asbiologic or genetic diversity if thehuman being is to survive as a specie.Alaska Natives and peoplefrom other ways of knowing mustfind ways to reach out to each other,to dissolve distrust, to work WITHeach other for the sake of all ourcoming generations. To Alaska NativeElders, it is not a question ofwhether or not Mother Earth willsurvive…it is whether or not wetwo-leggeds will. It is up to us.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGMercury Found in Commonly PreparedSubsistence Foods of a Rural Alaskan VillagePAGE 8By Roger F.N. Rothschild& Lawrence K. DuffyIn the characterization of exposure,proximity to a source is aninexact surrogate of actual contactwith the toxicant from the source.The characterization of mercuryexposure requires anunderstanding of allpotential pathwaysthrough which mercuryin the environmentmay result inexposure. This includesdirect pathways such asthrough air and drinking water andindirectly through uptake in foodsources. Over the years, there hasbeen a desire by Alaskans to knowthe mercury (THg) burdens on Alaskansubsistence food users as wellas any health impacts relating toTHg in peoples diets. Many peoplein Alaska live a traditional subsistencelifestyle. For example, amongYup’ik, Alutiiq, and Inupiat, theyhave intakes of wild foods per individualwhich range between 375 to600 pounds per year. Marine mammals,waterfowl, salmon, freshwaterfish, caribou, and moose are themajor sources of protein and fat insubsistence diets. The State ofAlaska Section of Epidemiology hassummarized data on the levels ofmercury in Alaskan fish and humansseveral times over the last tenyears. They reported that mercurylevels are very low in the most frequentlyconsumed fish from Alaskasuch as salmon. Eating fish providesboth inexpensive and readilyavailable nutrients.Mercury is a natural element inthe earth’s crust which also is distributedto the circumpolar north bycoal-fired utility plants and wasteincinerators located at temperatelatitudes. Within the biogeochemicalcycle, the metal, Hg 0 , can be oxidizedto inorganic mercury (Hg II)and then methylated by bacteria.“Recent studies have focusedon fish, but little isknown about the THg levelsin prepared foods.”Concentrations measured in aquaticorganisms are different according totheir position within the food webs,particularly the piscivorous specieswhich have the highest levels ofcontamination due to the biomagnificationof the methylated form ofthe metal. In a recentstudy conductedin Alaska, pike (Esoxlucius), a residentfreshwater piscivorousspecies, hadmean mercury levelsgreater than 500 ng/g wet weightand which often exceed the EPAcritical value for human consumption.However, riverside populationsof western Alaska tend tohave low Hg levels in hair becausesalmon is their main source of proteins.Recent studies have focused onfish, but little is known about theTHg levels in prepared foods. It hasbeen reported that mercury, includingMeHg, remains bound to fishmuscle during cooking (boiled) anddrying. In one published study ofArctic char, salvelinus alpinus, anInuit food, mercury concentrationsincreased four to six-fold duringcooking and drying. In this report,we present the study conducted onnative prepared food from the Napakiakcommunity (Figure 1, ref19). The principal goal was to identifythe effect of food preparation ondietary Hg intake as well as identifyingthe traditional food items inthe Yup’ik diet that may be associatedwith Hg exposure.METHODSWhile in the process of collectingdiet recall interviews from the villageof Napakiak (Figure 1, ref 19,population 200), food samples werecollected. These samples were inthe form in which the foods werenormally consumed. The data presented here were returned to thevillage leaders and to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.Food samples were stored at –20 0 Cuntil analyzed for mercury. Totalmercury (THg) was analyzed by coldvapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry(CVAF) after sampleswere digested with acid. For THg, 1gram of sample was transferred to a40 ml pre-cleaned vial, to which 7ml of 70% HNO3/30% H2SO4 wasadded. The samples were heated ona hotplate at 90 0 C for 4 hours, untilall soft tissue was dissolved. Aftercooling, the digests were diluted toa final volume of 37 ml with 10%0.2N BrC1. For THg, aliquots ofdigests were reduced with SnC12,followed by CVAF detection.To access the accuracy of THgdetermination, certified dogfish tissue(DORM-2) from the NationalResearch Council of Canada wasanalyzed. Our recovery was 101.2%of the published values for DORM-2for THg. A check standard and ablank were run after every 10 samples.A duplicate and a spike ofsamples were performed once foreach run of 20 samples. Only descriptiveanalysis of the data wasperformed across food groups becauseof the small samples sizes.RESULTSMercury was detected in 41 out of45 food samples measured; theirconcentrations are presented in Table1. The critical value for humanconsumption established by USEPAis .2 mg/g (200 ng/g). The range ofmercury in all food samples inwhich mercury was detected was1.0 – 443.8 ng/g. Concentrations inpike and mallard were higher thanthe EPA critical value, but lowerthan the FDA action level of 1000ng/g. Because of the small samplesizes, levels can be strongly influencedby individual samples. The(Continued on page 9)

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNINGPAGE 9Mercury found (continued from page 8)Bearded seal is an example wherethe mean of 140 ng/g for an n =4had a standard deviation of 151 ng/g.The salmon foods qaamalluq andqiaqanuk showed THg concentrationsranging from 10 – 225.8 ng/g.The combined means for both redsalmon and king salmon qaamalluqwas 80.6 ng/g for n=6. These levelsare higher than the boiled redsalmon (36.6 ng/g). These levels arealso lower than the dried Beardedseal, (Erignathus gaibatus), whosemean concentration was 140.0 ng/g(n=4).As expected, plants have low THglevel. Also the herbivores that feedon plants, caribou, reindeer, andmoose, have low levels. The mooseand reindeer stews, however, weresimilar to the seal stew.DISCUSSIONThe objective of this study was toobtain preliminary data about THglevels in traditional Yup’ik foods.Because of limited resources, onlyone or a few samples of each fooditem were collected and analyzed inthis study. Relatively high valuesof standard deviation (1-105%; Table1) were observed which suggeststhat there is a high level of intrafoodtype variation in mercury concentrations.Any dietary intakeestimates based on low numbers ofsamples should be interpreted withcaution.Methylmercury (MeHg) concentrationsin fish tissues are of specialconcern because of the potential ofMeHg to biomagnify through thefood web in aquatic ecosystems.MeHg is generally accumulatedmore efficiently from food than Hgin an inorganic form such as Hg 2+ .The biological half-life of MeHg infish is longer than that of inorganicHg and MeHg is the major form ofTHg in fish muscle. As THg accumulatesin the edible portions offish, primarily as the MeHg, MeHgwill be biomagnified up the foodchain. Because of the importanceof fishing, both commercial and subsistence,to Alaska’s Yup’ik economy,the Hg in fish has become afocus of research interest. The concentrationsof mercury in salmonderived foods are comparable tothose reported in the literature(Table 2). For example, bothsmoked King Salmon (Table 1) andRed Salmon Qiaganuk have higherlevels that the wild fish. Similarresults were reported for Arcticchar, where food preparation increasedthe concentration of THg inthe fish muscle. There is a generaltrend that the prepared food itemshave higher THg concentrationsthan the raw samples. Red andKing salmon feed at different trophiclevels and King salmon generallyhave higher THg levels thanRed salmon.Marine mammals are usually ona higher trophic level than the terrestrialmammals used for subsistenceso we expected to see differencesbetween seal meat and caribouor moose meat. As seen in Table2, we observed no difference ineither THg in stews but the driedmeat from seal was higher thancaribou (Table 2). These levels arecomparable with reported values forTHg in the tissue and hair of thesespecies. Lastly, plants and treatsshowed very low levels and shouldcontribute little THg to a consumertotal mercury burden.The samples in this study werecontributed by the Napakiak communityand they may better representthe typical levels of mercury inthe Yup’ik diet than samples of fishand wildlife collected for environmentalstudies. The low levels reportedhere are consistent with thelow levels found in Yup’ik hair,however, monitoring programs toassess the changes in body burdenwith time should be considered.Our preliminary results suggestthat mercury exposure is low butthe small sample size and highvariation warrants larger scalestudies to increase confidence.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe are grateful to the village ofNapakiak for their help and cooperation.This research was fundedin part by UAF undergraduate researchprogram (Provost Office) andAlaska EPSCoR program in ArcticContaminants. We are also gratefulfor funding from the National Institutesof Health (NIEHS, NINDS,NIMH, and NCRR).Tables stats — Tables 1 & 2 are on pages10 and 11.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 LISTENING & LEARNING PAGE 10TABLE 1: MERCURY (THG) CONCENTRATIONS IN YUP’IK FOOD (NG/G)FOOD SOURCETHGMEAN(S.D.)FOOD SOURCETHGMEAN(S.D.)FOOD SOURCETHGMEAN(S.D.)Red Salmon(O. nerka)King Roe 6.6Seal Stew 6.0QaamalluqKing Roe 7.7 7.2 (0.8)BirdsHalf dried,fermented 36.9109.8145.066.210.073.6(54.4)Smoked King 113.2King Salmonwith Seal Oil 117.4Pike (Esoxlucius)Dried with Skin 443.8Blackfish(Dallia pectoralis)Lesser CanadianGoose 6.2Dried Ptarmigan(Lagopuslagopus) 11.5Mallard Stew 357.2PlantsButtercupGreens 8.5QiaganukHalf dried 97.995.064.2225.8120.7(71.7)Dried 155.2Whitefish(Coregonusnelsoni)Dried 55.5½ Dried withPotatoes 33.6Sourdough,Seal Oil andSugar 3.9Tundra Tea 0Greens andFish Stew 0Greens, Raw 3.1Red Roe 3.3Stinkhead(fermented) 337.7MeatReindeer Stew(Rangifer tarandus)11.5Wild Celery 0Boiled Fiddlehead4.3Head 40.8Boiled 36.3King Salmon(O. tshawytsha)QaamalluqHalf dried, fermented115.6Moose Stew(Alces alces) 12.3Dried Caribou(Rangifer tarandus)55.8MarineMammalDried Seal(Erignathus gaibatus)347.1TreatsAqutug 1.004.2 1.7 (2.2)Qiaganuk149.9Half dried 72.857.164.9(11.1)62.90140.0(151.1)

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1LISTENING & LEARNING PAGE 11Table 2: Comparison of THg intraditionally prepared foods withraw foods (ng/g).FOODSOURCETHGMEAN(S.D.)Qaamal- Wild (ref.)Red 73.6 51 (15)King 115.6 80(15)Figure 1: Map of Yup’ik Alaska (19).This figure shows the village of Napakiak. The figure represents the distributionof the Yup’ik words “to cook”. The distribution here follows the commonnorth vs. south pattern. Ega-is the original verb base for ‘to cook’. Insome Yup’ik areas, kenir- is used instead. Ega- is found in derivatives suchas egan ‘pot’ (literally ‘cooking device’), egamaarrluk ‘partially dried and thenboiled fish’, and probably also egaleq ‘window’ (originally ‘smoke hole’).Taken from ref. 19.QiaganukRed 120.7 51(15)King 57.1 80(15)StewsSeal 6.0 17,200(18)Reindeer 11.5 4.1(24)Moose 12.3 135(25)DriedSeal 140.0 17,200(18)90-530(26)Caribou 55.8 47.1(24)OtherDriedFishPike 443.8 823(11)Whitefish 55.5 163(1)

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