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MAY 11, 2001

The landmark Alaska Native subsistence rights case is still causing conflicts in Alaska, as the federal government on Thursday closed all sport and commercial salmon fishing on the Yukon and Kuskokwim river drainages over state objections.

The government says the move was to ensure credibility with rural residents, including Alaska Natives. The state says the shut-down is further expansion of federal powers over waters in the state.

The decision to shut down the fishery was the first made over the objections of state officials.

The full panel 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the 1995 Katie John case. The state has opposed the decision because it conflicts with its Constitution, but Governor Tony Knowles says he supports Native subsistence rights.

Get the Story:
Feds halt Y-K salmon fishery (The Anchorage Daily News 5/11)

Get the original Katie John case:
State of Alaska v. Babbitt (Ninth Circuit. Nos. 94-35480, 94-35481. December 1995)

Relevant Links:
Native subsistence rights, Native American Rights Fund - http://www.narf.org/pubs/justice/1999SPRING/spring1999.htm
Alaska Federation of Natives - http://www.akfednatives.org
Katie John et al. v. State of Alaska - http://www.mountainstateslegal.org/legal_cases.cfm?legalcaseid=64 Alaska Native Knowledge Network - http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/subsistence.html

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