U.S. issues final Alaska subsistence wildlife rules for 2026-27 and 2027-28
- Federal Subsistence Board adopted 51 of 83 wildlife proposals
- Permitted brown bear hide sales limited to U.S. personal use
- Unit 3 moose season start corrected to Sept 15
Photo: Wikimedia Commons - Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0What changed The rule changes the Unit 3 moose season start date from September 1 to September 15.
ANCHORAGE — The U.S. Forest Service and the Interior Department's Office of Subsistence Management issued a final rule revising hunting and trapping seasons, harvest limits and methods for subsistence taking of wildlife on federal public lands in Alaska during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 regulatory years.
The Federal Subsistence Board considered 83 wildlife proposals and 18 wildlife closure reviews during the cycle, according to the rule. It adopted 51 proposals, deferred 5, approved the withdrawal of 3, rejected 12 and took no action on 12.
On the closure reviews, the board voted to retain the status quo on 13, rescind 3 and take no action on 2, the rule said.
The rule allows a person to request a Customary Trade Permit to sell the hide of a brown bear legally harvested under federal subsistence regulations, provided the hide is purchased within the United States for personal use and not to be resold.
The board also adopted a deferred fisheries proposal that closes federal public waters throughout District 1 to the harvest of eulachon, except by federally qualified subsistence users harvesting in the Unuk River.
The board determined that the requests for reconsideration of Ketchikan's rural status do not meet the threshold for further consideration, according to the rule.
The rule corrects the start of the Unit 3 moose hunting season to Sept. 15. The document said a 2022 rule mistakenly listed Sept. 1.
The departments estimated that subsistence users harvest 2 million pounds of meat annually, which they said would equate to about $6 million in food value statewide at $3.00 per pound.
The rule takes effect on the date it is published in the Federal Register.
The departments proposed the rule on Jan. 21, 2025, and the comment period closed on April 4, 2025. The board held its public meeting on April 21-24, 2026, in Anchorage.