Is this just an issue in regards to National Park areas with subsistence hunting or is the federal regulation the oversight for all subsistence across the state?
The feds have oversight on
all federal lands. NPS, FWS, BLM and USFS. They have the ability to close down all non-subsistence hunting, be it for lack of game, safety or their management ideals to ONLY those who qualify for subsistence. You can read up on Obama's lackies flexing on the wolf hunt closures and predator management around the state. Luckily it was reversed when Trump came in, but if I had to guess, it will be implemented under Biden. Basically the state shoots predators to increase prey/food for people. The feds didn't like that idea...
The regs are set up to favor those people that live in the immediate area in some cases, meaning only some qualified users can hunt some areas (such as national parks), or the federal lands could be open to all qualified users, if that makes sense. Say two people live in A and B, A can hunt X and Y, but B can only hunt Y. The state manages game for everyone and we do have some "subsistence" type permits, but they are available to all residents, with limited special preference for locals.
This was the "treaty rights" negotiated at statehood for hunting/fishing under ANILCA. it wasn't for a specific race/tribe, rather was based on where people lived. I believe it would take an act of congress to change it, and that won't happen.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm grateful that the state owns so much land, and I'm hopeful the feds will finally fork over the remaining 11 million acres still owed to the state per ANSCA.
Currently:
AK ~ 375M total acres
State ownership ~93M (feds still owe 11M) = 104M granted
Native Corporations ~40M acres (still owed about 4M) = 44M +1B in cash granted
Feds ~ 222M acres total - 120M acres NPS/FWS (50Mac NPS, 70Mac FWS), ~100M BLM and NFS
Total areas currently open to anyone, which could be closed to hunting and fishing in the future due to ANILCA to non-qualified users, ~ 170M acres of federal land. All those wildlife refuges and preserves that many people currently hunt in could be closed to hunting in the future should the feds decide they don't want hunting. This is most of the Brooks Range and Wrangells along with many other popular destinations such as the Yukon Charlie preserve that many caribou hunters hunt with 40 Mile Air.
A couple years back the subsistence board (I think there are 9 members, 4 locals, and 5 feds?) allowed the closure of caribou hunting in Unit 23 near Kotzebue. One of the most popular and largest herds in Alaska, under the premise (pressure from locals) that the herd was declining and hunting needed to be regulated for non-qualified users... yet locals could still shoot 5 a day. Non-qualified users took fewer than 1000 caribou a year as I recall (the heard was estimated at ~320,000 at time of closure). They were also successful in getting moose hunting closed up there to non-locals because its a valuable food source. Mind you there wasn't even moose in that area 50 years ago, so its not a traditional food source.
The mantra of wildlife being held in trust for the people, is a farce in Alaska. Its held for those who believe they are most deserving, and it will only get worse.
www.hcn.org
The major areas include the greater anchorage/wasilla area, Hommer, Kenai, Seward, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan and Valdez. Basically any town larger than about 2000 people on the highway system.
