The Aleuts. The Surrounding Society and the Main Economic Activity of the Region

The isolation of the Commander Islands determined the life of Commander Aleuts and their main economic activity, sea hunting. Uncontrolled coastal and sea fishing, as well as poaching, led to a decrease in the number of the Northern fur seal and an almost complete extermination of the sea cow. At present, the Commander Islands are part of the territory of the Southern Kamchatka and Commander Nature Reserves. The marine fauna and unique ecosystems of the islands are under protection, and any anthropogenic activity there is limited.

In the 1950s, the Komandorsky Animal Farm was established on Bering Island, which in the 1970s was transformed into a factory belonging to the state Kamchatka Production Association of Fishing Industry “Kamchatrybprom.” Its establishment ushered in a period of active socio-economic development. The Komandorsky Animal Farm was the city-forming enterprise of the Aleutian district. It included the following divisions: a construction and repair shop with a sawmill, a fleet, a dairy farm, a poultry farm, a mink farm with a feed shop and a fur farm, a diesel power plant, a garage with a repair and maintenance shop, a refrigerator plant, and a water pumping station. The fur farm was engaged in field farming, fishing, and seal hunting. It existed until the early 1990s. After the collapse of the USSR, several municipal enterprises were created on the island, most of them, however, were short-lived.

The island dwellers receive state support or work in the service sector or budgetary institutions (the Aleuts, as representatives of the indigenous minorities of the North, are eligible for subsidies and benefits, for instance, increased fishing quotas). The main area of employment is housing and utilities services, tourism, budgetary institutions, transport repairs, etc.

Currently, there is only one industrial enterprise in the village, the Aleutian Fish Processing Plant. There are also several tribal communities, whose activities are linked to sea and freshwater fishing, collecting wild plants, handcrafting, etc. In recent years, tourism has been growing as well. The main attraction of the region is its unique nature for this is one of the few places on the planet where one can observe the life of seabirds and sea animals in their natural habitat. The local population earns money by renting out lodgings and transport, providing guide services, etc.

The geographical isolation and inaccessibility of the Commander Islands, coupled with the unreliability and complexity of air and sea travel, negatively affects the socio-economic development of the area. The economy here is characterized by high wages being canceled out by the prices for consumer goods, which are just as high.