Tag: federal subsistence board

The federal subsistence board is taking another look at the criteria for deciding whether or not an Alaskan community is rural. Rural designation is a key step in granting subsistence priority to a community. Subsistence users, for instance, can harvest halibut on longlines, or dipnet sockeye, or hunt for deer after the closure of the sport season, if they live in a federally-designated rural community. Without it, residents have to follow sport rules and bag limits, which are typically much lower. At a hearing in Sitka late last month, residents testified unanimously in support of the community's "rural characteristics." Read More