st. paul

The tribal government of St. Paul island, in the Bering Sea, has pushed the federal government for years to relax strict subsistence rules that have blocked access to seals and forced residents to buy expensive groceries. New rules could take effect soon, but they face opposition amid a decline in the seal population.

Last week, the best party in Alaska might have been on an island in middle of the Bering Sea. KUCB’s Alexandra Gutierrez traveled to St. Paul for the festivities and to find out why they were significant for one rapidly disappearing species.

Annie Feidt, reporter for the Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN), visited remote St. Paul Island in Alaska's Bering Sea in October 2007 while covering fur…