Aboriginal Entrepreneurship in the Sphere of Fishing: The Example of Sakhalin

ABSTRACT The article describes the author’s extensive fieldwork on Sakhalin island, covering the development and difficulties of establishing Indigenous entrepreneurship in the sphere of fishing. Legal restrictions at the federal level include narrow definitions of “territories of traditional land use,” and inadequate understanding of the importance of flexible fishing calendars and creative, culturally oriented use of modern technologies. Nivkhi Indigenous values of moderation, customary law, and feeding extended families have contended with greedy newcomer businesses that have fished out much of southern Sakhalin with industrial-scale fishing operations and fish farming. The author argues that Indigenous access to aquatic biological resources should be broadened, so that Indigenous peoples cognizant of sustainability are not accused of being poachers on their own lands and fishing grounds.