Presented by the Calista Land & Natural Resource Department
Storyknife, March/April 2026 edition
In recent months, Calista Corporation has been actively engaged in responding to and addressing proposed federal actions that impact Yukon-Kuskokwim Region communities.
In many cases, we have advocated through the Alaska Federation of Natives and the ANCSA Regional Association, speaking with our combined voice on matters like subsistence hunting and fishing that affect more than just our Region.
Calista will continue to monitor and advocate on behalf of our Shareholders and communities, and we encourage all Tribes, Village Corporations and individuals to weigh in on any of these matters during comment periods and Tribal consultation opportunities.
FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE BOARD
The U.S. departments of theInterior and Agriculture are conducting a review of how the Federal Subsistence Program is run in Alaska. They began this review after a large sport-hunting group, Safari Club International, petitioned for significant revisions to subsistence management, including:
- Removing the five public and Tribally nominated seats from the Federal Subsistence Board
- Requiring the board to defer to the State of Alaska on actions necessary for the conservation of fish and wildlife
- Changing the selection criteria for regional advisory councils
Through the Alaska Federation of Natives and the ANCSA Regional Association, we are submitting comments and participating in consultations scheduled for March. We encourage all Village Corporations and Tribes to participate in these comment and consultation opportunities as well.
Public comments on the subsistence program review must be received by March 30, 2026, and can be submitted in one of the following ways:
- Online: www.regulations.gov (search for the docket # DOI-2025-0170)
- Email: subsistence@ios.doi.gov
- Hard copy: submit by mail or hand delivery to Office of the Secretary, Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs, 4230 University Drive, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99508
- Oral comments by telephone can be made through an appointment request submitted by one of the above methods
Additional public comment opportunities will be required if the departments decide to move forward with regulatory changes.
MILITARY AVIATION EXERCISES
The U.S. Air Force published a draft plan in January to expand its airspace in Alaska for military training exercises. This plan proposes two new large areas in western Alaska—including significant parts of the Yukon-Kuskokwim—for military training airspace.
The Air Force wants to expand its training airspace because it says it cannot fully meet the training requirements needed for combat readiness. One of the factors is the inability to conduct uninterrupted flights at low altitude.
Calista participated in a consultation held by the Air Force and did not receive adequate information related to the impact on subsistence and rural flight safety in our Region. We submitted comments during the public scoping period and encouraged Shareholders to do so as well through our Facebook page. Concerns we raised in our comment letter include:
- Risk of collisions with small aircraft
- Risk of bird strikes and disruption to bird nesting and migration patterns
- Risk of disruption to calving and migration of caribou, moose and other grazing animals
The comment period for scoping has ended. The next public comment period will occur when the Air Force publishes a draft Environmental Impact, targeted for early next year. For more information about this project, visit www.jparcairspaceeis.com.
WESTERN ALASKA CHUM BYCATCH
Culminating a process that began in 2022, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in February voted to set a Western Alaska chum bycatch limit of 45,000 chum in the Bering Sea pollock fishery from June 10 through August 31. In addition, each respective pollock sector was assessed a cap. If the bycatch cap is exceeded for a respective sector, the regulation includes a partial closure of the fishery. These caps are aligned with Bering Sea Chum Bycatch Management Plan components to create a corridor for Western Alaska salmon to return to spawning grounds in Western Alaska.
The bycatch limit of 45,000 was intended to account for the historical average of Western Alaska chum salmon. The council declined to adopt a total chum bycatch cap. It also declined to adopt the advisory panel’s recommendation that no chum cap be set.
Calista supports a meaningful chum cap that would bring more chum home to Western Alaska. While this cap does not go far enough, Calista is encouraged by the Council’s willingness to take concrete action to protect Western Alaska chum and by industry efforts to reduce bycatch. This is one step in the right direction. We can’t give up—our salmon and our ways of life must continue.
The burden of conservation cannot rest solely on subsistence fishing; commercial fishing must share it. The salmon crash is starving Yukon-Kuskokwim people, culturally and nutritionally. The lack of this resource is felt even deeper as we recover from the Typhoon Halong natural disaster.
