There used to be so many different kinds of birds out at Mernaulivik and they used to be so tame, we easily could approach them. Especially when the swans and other kinds of birds were on the nest you could come right up to them. The birds were spread out all over the delta from up North down to Tununak all along the shores of the Bering Sea and they used to stay there during the summer time. Nothing happened to them there and when the people would catch them, they never took their babies, only the adult ones.

This story is told that many years ago there were Gussoks who used to buy the down feathers of geese. The people down South didn't have any other kind of clothes but those made of cotton, and so they wanted these down feathers to make warm down coats, ski-pants, and other winter clothes. As a result of taking goose down feathers in this way these birds are growing fewer very fast.

The Game Wardens say that Gussuks don't use these bird feathers anymore. But I have looked at the feathers from old coats that were thrown in the trash and there were feathers from Canadian geese, Emperor and Black Brants. I recognized all of them. So I know that it is still true that Gussuks get their down feathers in this way and because of it the numbers of these birds are continuing to go down.