an Iñupiaq woman hanging a whitefish on a drying rack

Local residents harvest both fish and land animals in all seasons, with the annual patterns depending on both species availability and the timing of favorable weather conditions.

Different communities may use more or less of certain wild foods depending on their location. For example, in Selawik with its river delta location the top five resources harvested in terms of edible pounds are caribou, sheefish, northern pike, humpback whitefish, and broad whitefish. In Kotzebue, on the coast, there is more harvest of salmon and seals. Communities and families share and trade widely.

Subsistence hunters seeking information on rules and regulations, please see our "rules and policies" page or these fact sheets: