Overview and History of Subsistence Management in Alaska

Overview of the Federal Subsistence Management Program (poster)
The Federal Subsistence Management Program - An Overview (brochure)

Pre-1867	For thousands of years, Alaska Natives harvest fish and wildlife resources.
1867–1959	Following the Alaska Purchase, the Federal government manages Alaska's fish and wildlife resources.
1960	The Federal government transfers the authority to manage fish and wildlife in Alaska to the new State government.
1971	Congress passes the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which conveys to Alaska Natives title to more than 40 million acres of land and nearly $ 1 billion in compensation. ANCSA also extinguishes aboriginal hunting and fishing rights. The Conference Committee report expresses the expectation that the Secretary of the Interior and the State of Alaska would take the action necessary to protect the subsistence needs of Alaska Natives.
1978	State subsistence law creates a priority for subsistence use over all other uses of fish and wildlife, but does not define subsistence users.
1980	Congress passes the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which protects the subsistence needs of rural Alaskans.
1982	The Alaska Board of Fisheries and Game adopts regulations creating a rural subsistence priority. The State program is in compliance with ANILCA.
1989	The Alaska Supreme Court rules that the rural residency preference violates the Alaska Constitution.
1990	The Federal government begins managing subsistence hunting, trapping and fishing on Alaska's Federal public lands and non-navigable waters.
1992	The Federal government adopts final subsistence management regulations for Federal public lands.
1993	Federal Regional Advisory Councils are established.
1995	The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Federal Subsistence Board should expand its management of subsistence fisheries to include all navigable waters in which the United States holds reserve water rights, such as waters on or next to wildlife refuges, national parks, and national forests. Congressional moratoriums prevent this ruling from taking effect until October 1, 1999.
1999	Federal subsistence management expands to include fisheries on all Federal public lands and waters.
2009	Secretary of the Interior announces comprehensive review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program.
2010	Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture announce their decision to make a number of changes to the program. read more>>
2011	Based on the review recommendations, the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture issue a memorandum directing that the Federal Subsistence Board initiate several actions, including increasing the membership of the Federal Subsistence Board to include two public members representing rural subsistence users.
2012	Two public members are appointed to the Federal Subsistence Board by the Secretaries. The Federal Subsistence Board adopts its Tribal consultation policy. The policy provides the framework for the Board's consultations with Federally recognized Tribes on ANILCA, Title VIII, subsistence matters under the Board's authority, while maintaining the central role of the Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils as advisors to the Board. The Board delayed development of an ANCSA corporation consultation policy, pending the release of the Department of the Interior's ANCSA corporations consultation policy.

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