Subsistence harvest information helps us to identify the mix of species that make up the primary sources of local food. While actual consumption data is necessary to estimate the exposure of individuals to contaminants in subsistence foods, harvest data is much more widely available in Alaska. We are working with Betsy Nobmann, formerly the lead nutritionist with the Alaska Native Health Service, to incorporate consumption data for 12 Alaska communities in our database.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence started a program of community subsistence harvest studies in 1978. Since that time, the Division has collected harvest data for 199 communities in Alaska. The Division developed a village profile database containing these data. The Division approved our incorporation of key elements of the database in the Contaminants and Subsistence Foods Database. For further information about the Division’s database, contact Charles Utermohle at (907) 267-2360 or by email at Charles_Utermohle@fishgame.state.ak.us.