Local and Traditional Knowledge of the Nature and Extent of Interactions between

Abundances of marine mammal populations changed dramatically in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska over the past century. Some of these changes are attributed to known ecological or human-caused events, but considerable uncertainty surrounds others, such as the decline of the western stock of Steller sea lions in the 1970s and 1980s. In the case of sea lions, one factor that has been identified but poorly studied is mortality from shooting by fishermen and others. Documenting information about the nature and extent of such shooting, together with its spatial and temporal characteristics, may provide valuable insights into the causes of the decline and the potential for recovery. In addition, commercial fishermen and regional residents are likely to have a great deal of knowledge about historical ecological events and conditions, including climate regime shifts, which have not been documented to date. Ecological knowledge is particularly sparse prior to routine fish stock assessment surveys in the 1970s (Bering Sea) and 1980s (Gulf of Alaska). Interviews that we conducted with selected fishermen and regional residents in the Kodiak, Cold Bay/Sand Point, and Seattle areas hav