Finstad, who runs the reindeer research programme at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, says the subsistence lifestyle of rural communities on the Yukon river is under serious threat in a time of tumultuous change. Softly spoken, his eyes shaded from the sunshine by a baseball cap, Finstad is a disarming mix of wit, charm and frankness. "They're off the road system," he says. "They have to ship very expensive food. They're very worried about starving and it's a legitimate concern.