The Departments of Agriculture and Interior announced Thursday they’re extending the deadline for public comments on changes proposed to the Federal Subsistence Management Program.
The deadline to submit public comments was changed from today to March 30, six weeks away.
The two departments are conducting a “targeted review” of the subsistence program to “ensure the program effectively and efficiently meets the needs of Alaska residents and the Secretaries’ obligations under Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980,” said the supplementary information in the federal register.
The Interior department initiated the review on December 13.
Some Alaskans are expressing concerns that the review could ultimately lead to regulatory changes that would undermine subsistence harvest rights in the state.
Since 1990 the Federal Subsistence Management Program has regulated the harvest of fish and game by “federally qualified subsistence users” – rural residents – and the State of Alaska regulates harvest of fish and game by all Alaska residents and non-residents.
The program provides a harvest priority on federal lands for Alaskans who reside in communities designated as “rural,” particularly when a population of a given fish or wildlife species declines and harvests must be restricted.
The public comment period, now open through March 30, is part of the federal government’s review of the subsistence program for Alaska. It is noticed in the Federal Register under the docket number DOI-2025-0170.
Comments can be submitted via the Federal Register posting https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOI-2025-0170-0001, or by email to [email protected].
This story was originally published by the Daily Sitka Sentinel.