Federal Subsistence Board approves changes to subsistence hunting regulations

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) met April 12-14, 2016 in Anchorage to consider 70 proposed changes to the Federal subsistence hunting and trapping regulations and voted on the 2016 Federal Subsistence Management Program’s Student Art Contest entries. The Board also conducted Tribal and Alaska Native Corporation consultations on the wildlife regulatory proposals.

Changes to the Subsistence Hunting and Trapping Regulations

The Board adopted all 34 of the consensus agenda proposals and 24 of the non-consensus agenda proposals to change the Federal hunting and trapping regulations. 

Among the changes approved by the Board are:

• The term “antlered” removed from the moose harvest regulations in Unit 5B and Unit 1C remainder
• Increase  harvest limit for deer in Unit 6 from 4 to 5
• Extend the Federal mountain goat season in Unit 6D from Aug. 20 – Jan. 31 to Aug. 20 – Feb. 28
• Restriction prohibiting Federally qualified subsistence users from hunting caribou within the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline right-of-way is rescinded
• Increase in the number of permits available for the harvest of brown bear in Unit 9B within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
• Coyote trapping season in Unit 25 is expanded from Nov. 1 – Mar. 31 to Oct. 1 – Apr 30

The Federal subsistence hunting and trapping regulations, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, will be available statewide by mid-June. The regulations will be posted on the Federal Subsistence Management Program website, www.doi.gov/subsistence.

In other business, Ayanna Basargin, age 13, from Anchorage was selected by the Board and Regional Advisory Council Chairs as the winner of the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s Annual Student Art Contest. Basargin’s art work will serve as the cover art for the 2016-2018 Federal Subsistence Management Harvest of Wildlife regulations book distributed statewide.  Honorable mentions were Wilfred Otten, age 17 from St. Michael and Sidney Kinneen, age 14, from Unalakleet.

The Office of Subsistence Management received over 360 art entries from students all over Alaska in grades K-12. Artwork submitted will be used for brochures, flyers, website and other mediums.

Additional information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.

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