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Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment
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Subject Areas: biology,
ecology, survival
Timeline: fall or early
winter; summer
Grade Levels:
8-12
Purpose: to increase
knowledge of local mammals; to encourage
self-sufficiency
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J.
Bacon
Operating a
Trapline
Subsistence Trapline,
or Subsistence Net
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 Activities
- Set a trapline:
enlist the help of a local expert; if no money
is available, provide all or part of the catch as payment
either order traps through the mail or borrow
them
be sure not to set traps on another person's
trapline
keep records of where traps are set and what
is caught
have students prepare sets, check traps, and
skin the animals.
- Set a net:
borrow a net in exchange for a share in the
catch
purchase a subsistence permit (it's cheap)
obtain a boat; if the school will provide
gas and oil, one of your students will probably be able to provide
a boat
consult with elders to find a good location;
don't fish at someone else's site; don't block more than one-half
a navigable stream
check net twice a week; keep a record of numbers
and species caught clean the fish; examine stomach contents; determine
what the fish eat eat the fish: distribute among the students;
save some for a feast.
Resources
- Fin, Fur, and Feathers magazine: ads for
suppliers of traps, scents, and books on trapping, as well as ads
for fur buyers
- Trapping Tips, Washington, D.C.
- Cushua, C. T., & Bumham,K. P. An
Inexpensive Line Trap for Snowshoe Hares
- (1974, October). Journal of Wildlife Management,
38(4), 939-941
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Cooperative Extension Service
- Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Conservation Note#16
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Variations
- Trapline:
if the project is used for
fund-raising, consult the village council, and inform the
buyer of the nature of the project; have students market
the furs and keep financial records
set rabbit snares; keep records of
which snares produce; check stomach contents to see what
the rabbits have been eating; give away the catch or have
a rabbit feast in class.
- Net
have village resource person teach
net mending; repair your net; make a net
discuss nutritional value of
fish
learn from elders how traditional
tools and methods have changed
incorporate into a marine biology
unit.
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