Alaska Inter-Tribal Council : Advocating for Alaska Tribal Governments

Alaska Inter-Tribal Council
Resolution 98-02

A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE BERING SEA COALITION

WHEREAS, there are at least sixteen species in severe decline in the Bering Sea, and many of these species have been declining for over twenty years, and;

WHEREAS, most of these species are integral to the overall health of the Bering Sea ecosystem and the coastal cultures dependent on them, including the stellar sea lion (listed ad Endangered under the Endangered Species Act), northern fur seal (listed as Threatened under the Marine Mammal Protection Act), spectacled eider (listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act). king and common eiders, steller eider, harbor seal, red legged kittiwakes (placed on the IUCN red list as endangered), black legged kittiwakes, thick billed and common murres, open sea herring, sandlance, capelin (forage fishes), red-faced cormorant, and possibly the horned and tufted puffins, and;

WHEREAS, these declines threaten the viability of all coastal indigenous communities in terms of their cultures, ways of life, language, nutrition, economics, spirituality, and medicinal usage, and;

WHEREAS, the coastal communities do not have a collective voice to ensure that they have a strong role in any decision making process involving research, management, enforcement, and international agreements focused on the Bering Sea, and;

WHEREAS, the tribal governments in the Bering Sea are the only entities whose sole mission is to protect and preserve culture and a way of life in their communities, and;

WHEREAS, the Bering Sea Coalition is proposing a summit meeting of all coastal tribes to discuss the concept of a united effort of all tribes to deal with the myriad of national and international policy and programmatic issues which stem from the issue of the Bering Sea wide fish and wildlife declines;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council support the efforts of the Bering Sea Coalition to raise funds to conduct a summit meeting of all Bering Sea tribes for the specific purpose of determining what courses of action the tribes wish to take with regard to their stewardship role in the Bering Sea.

PASSED BY A DULY CONSTITUTED QUORUM OF THE ALASKA INTER-TRIBAL COUNCIL THIS 12th DAY OF MARCH 1998 BY A VOTE OF YES, NO, AND ABSTAINING.

Steve E. Ginnis Deborah Vo
Chairman Executive Director