The federal government is suing the state of Alaska over its management of salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River.
The lawsuit says the state is violating a fundamental federal law specific to Alaska by allowing all residents to engage in subsistence fishing of king and chum salmon. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act specifies that a preference is granted to rural residents when fish are in short supply.Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office referred questions to the state Department of Law.
“This ensures that there are adequate subsistence opportunities for Alaskans while adhering to the sustainability principle enshrined in the Alaska Constitution,” she said in an email. The lawsuit has its roots in the 1990s fights in Alaska about subsistence fishing and hunting on federal lands. Federal law requires that rural residents’ subsistence needs come first in times of scarcity. State law doesn’t allow a rural preference, the state Supreme Court decided in 1989.
When the Legislature would not change state law to conform to ANILCA, the U.S. government took over management of fish and game on federal land and rivers. But it delegated much of that management to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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