ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – State and federal wildlife officials have apologized to Alaska Natives for the enforcement of migratory bird regulations that failed to consider the effects on subsistence practices.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued the apology Thursday for the consequences of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibited the spring and summer harvests of migratory birds and their eggs during its implementation in the 1960s and 1970s, KTVA-TV reported .
The prohibition caused Alaska Natives to lose an important food source, prompting many to hunt illegally to feed their families, the agencies said.
“We recognize that the regulations were wrong, that they prohibited hunting of migratory birds when you needed it most during the springtime,’’ said Sam Cotten, the Alaska Fish and Game commissioner. “We got it wrong, we regret that we caused harm. We realize now that it was a wrong regulation to have in place, so we apologize for that.’’
The bird act was signed into law in 1918, intended to protect bird populations depleted by commercial hunting. Alaska Native leaders led an effort to change the law, resulting in the act getting amended in 1997.
The first legal subsistence harvest was in 2003. The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council was also established that year, bringing in Alaska Native representatives to manage the hunts with the agencies.
Cotten and Gregg Siekaniec, director of the federal agency in Alaska, signed official apology letters, which were distributed to members of the council at its meeting in Anchorage.
“This moment right here isn’t going to fix what has happened in past years, but it could actually bring healing,’’ said Gayla Hoseth, a council member from Bristol Bay. “And healing is what needs to happen for Natives throughout the state on all issues.’’
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