Policy and culture: The bristol bay case

Abstract

This paper deals with the difficulties of implementing legislation in non‐Western social and cultural contexts. The author presents an abbreviated case study of Alaska's effort to increase the economic returns of resident fishermen by restricting entry into state‐controlled fisheries. This paper examines how the implicit objectives of Alaska's Limited Entry Act of 1973 were effectively obstructed by the regulatory policy and by the implementation process. The paper focuses on the impact of this policy on Native Americans of Bristol Bay, Alaska, the site of the largest commercial fishery in Alaska and the world's largest salmon runs. Presented are some of the reasons several hundred natives were ultimately excluded from participating in the local commercial fishery.