Federal and State Laws and Acts
1. A list of 'Major Federal and State Laws and court Decisions Affecting Subsistence, 1971-1991'
2. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act:
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act basically says "that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture or kill; attempt to take, capture or kill; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver or cause to be shipped, exported, imported, transported, carried or received any migratory bird, part, nest, egg or product, manufactured or not" with penalties of fines up to $500 (for misdemeanors) and $2,000 (for more serious offences) and six months to two years in prison.
While (I think) the act is a helping hand in keeping people all around the world from killing too many migratory birds, the native people who live with the land know how many birds they can take without significantly decreasing the general population. The act is protecting the numbers of migratory birds, considering that birds are also part of subsistence it is a let down that the Cup'ik people can't eat the birds. A group from Fish and Wildlife are studying the birds near Qissunaq, but they have never asked the people that have lived around that area for ages about what they have noticed about the birds. They believe that the decrease in birds around the area is due to people "abusing their subsistence", the natives say that the Fish and Wildlife people are driving them away with all of their motor boats and noise.
3. ANILCA Title VIII:
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Title VIII): "Congress chose to determine subsistence by geography rather than by race". Which meant that congress had defined subsistence as "customary and traditional uses by rural Alaska residents," therefore all people in low populated areas had subsistence rights. Regional Subsistence Advisory Councils were setup so the state could mange and regulate the wildlife and subsistence "users".
Though they had protection of their subsistence rights the Native people in Alaska still wanted a priority for natives, but the definition of subsistence wouldn't be changed.