Athabascan Basket with Fish Curiosity

What is it and what was it for? It is a small, shallow oval birchbark basket with a fish suspended in the middle on a cotton cord with spaced black and whitish beads. The fish has white beads for eyes and smaller white beads for nostrils.  That explains what it is, but I don't know what its purpose, if any, was.  Another thing it is is that it quite wonderful and unique.

L. 5 ½"; W. 3 ¾"; H. 1 ½"