The federal subsistence board met in Anchorage on August 4th and 5th for their annual summer work session. Before I dive into the meeting, let’s briefly review what the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB) is and how it impacts fish and wildlife management in Alaska.  

Section VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) established a federal priority for rural residents' subsistence use of fish, wildlife, and other natural resources on public lands. The state managed this until 1989, when the Alaska Supreme Court determined the rural priority violated the state constitution, which mandates equal access to subsistence resources for all Alaskans; this is known as the McDowell Decision.  

In response, the federal government assumed responsibility for regulating subsistence hunting on federal public lands in Alaska in 1990, establishing the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB) to oversee the program. The FSB is composed of 11 members: five federal officials serving as state or regional directors within various Department of the Interior agencies, and six public members jointly appointed by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture. The public members do not serve fixed terms. The board establishes federal subsistence hunting and fishing regulations on federal public lands, including seasons, bag limits, and other harvest restrictions. It can make changes through the regular regulatory cycle as well as through out-of-cycle Wildlife Special Actions, or WSAs.  For the full scoop on the Federal Subsistence Management Program, click here. 

WSA26-04: Establishing a Winter Moose Hunt 

Several Wildlife Special Actions were considered during this summer's meeting, including WSA26-04. This action would establish a winter bull moose hunt for federally qualified subsistence users (FQSUs) in Gates of the Arctic National Park. 

The proposal is directly connected to the recent transfer of approximately 1.4 million acres of federal land along the Dalton Highway Corridor to the State of Alaska. The transfer removed those lands from federal jurisdiction and, as a result, eliminated a federal subsistence-hunting opportunity that residents of Wiseman and other nearby communities have relied on. 

The Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers supported this WSA because it maintains the existing harvest opportunity for rural Alaskans by only relocating the hunt to a different area, and this WSA will not negatively impact the moose herd or hinder access for other hunters since it tskes place in Gates of the Arctic National Park, where non-federally qualified subsistence users may not hunt. The Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recognizes and seeks to safeguard the rights of all Alaskans to hunt, fish, and subsist off the land. WSA26-04 was passed unanimously by the FSB. 

WSA26-07: Caribou in GMU 7 

WSA26-07 was discussed and unanimously approved. This is simply a continuation of the board delegating authority to the Seward Ranger District to manage the caribou hunt in Game Management Unit (GMU) 7, restricting the federal subsistence hunt to bulls only due to conservation concerns, as has been done in the past. For reference, non-subsistence hunts for caribou in GMU 7 are draw-only, bull-only, have a low probability of being drawn, and generally have low harvest rates.  

WSA26-08: Expanding Moose Harvest in GMU 18 

WSA26-08 was also discussed and unanimously passed. This WSA seeks to liberalize the subsistence fall moose hunt in GMU 18, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, to include the harvest of cows because the herd continues to grow, quotas are not being met, and there is an opportunity to increase the harvest, according to proponents of the WSA speaking to the board.  

A Need for Better Guidance for Regional Advisory Councils 

The remainder of the meeting focused largely on administrative and housekeeping matters for the FSB. One issue that stood out was the need for clearer guidance for the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs), which play an important role in advising the board. The discussion suggested that some RACs may lack sufficient guidance on how to complete their required annual reports, and that some reports are also used to raise new issues outside the normal regulatory cycle. The board agreed that a clearer framework is needed to help RACs complete these reports more effectively and consistently while maintaining compliance with their reporting requirements. 

Why Alaskans Should Pay Attention 

Perhaps the most notable part of this meeting had little to do with the individual actions before the board. 

The meeting was held in a federal building in Anchorage, and I was the only member of the public physically present. 

While the meeting was open to the public via Microsoft Teams, with an opportunity to provide comments remotely, participation was limited. The few public comments came almost entirely from subsistence users in the northwest portion of the state. The only exception was an individual calling in Oregon who spoke in support of WSA26-04 after spending three days in Wiseman this summer. 

Notably, no public comments were heard from Alaskans in Southcentral or the Interior's population centers. That should concern anyone who hunts, fishes, or cares about how wildlife is managed on Alaska's federal public lands. 

The FSB makes decisions that can directly affect hunting opportunity, seasons, bag limits, and access to resources. Those decisions deserve participation from a broad cross-section of Alaskans—not just the people who happen to be most familiar with the federal subsistence process. 

Upcoming Opportunities for Participation 

The next meeting of the FSB is their Fisheries Regulation Meeting, from February 2nd to the 5th. Time and location are TBD as of this writing. You can monitor updates to the meeting’s timing and agenda here.