50 Cfr 92

e-CFR data is current as of December 2, 2020
Title 50 → Chapter I → Subchapter G → Part 92
Title 50: Wildlife and Fisheries
PART 92—MIGRATORY BIRD SUBSISTENCE HARVEST IN ALASKA
Contents
Subpart A—General Provisions
§92.1 Purpose of regulations.
§92.2 Authority.
§92.3 Applicability and scope.
§92.4 Definitions.
§92.5 Who is eligible to participate?
§92.6 Use and possession of migratory birds.
§§92.7-92.9 [Reserved]
Subpart B—Program Structure
§92.10 Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council.
§92.11 Regional management areas.
§92.12 Relationship to the process for developing national hunting regulations for migratory
game birds.
§§92.13-92.19 [Reserved]
Subpart C—General Regulations Governing Subsistence Harvest
§92.20 Methods and means.
§92.21 Emergency closures.
§92.22 Subsistence migratory bird species.
§§92.23-92.29 [Reserved]
Subpart D—Annual Regulations Governing Subsistence Harvest
§92.30 General overview of regulations.
§92.31 Region-specific regulations.
§92.32 Emergency regulations to protect Steller's eiders.
§§92.33-92.39 [Reserved]
A

S

: 16 U.S.C. 703-712.

: 67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, unless otherwise noted.

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Subpart A—General Provisions
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§92.1 Purpose of regulations.
The regulations in this part implement the Alaska migratory bird subsistence program as
provided for in Article II(4)(b) of the 1916 Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in
Canada and the United States (the “Canada Treaty”), as amended.
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§92.2 Authority.
The Secretary of the Interior issues the regulations in this part under the authority granted
to the Secretary by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), 16 U.S.C. 703-712.
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§92.3 Applicability and scope.
(a) In general. The regulations in this part apply to all eligible persons harvesting
migratory birds and their eggs for subsistence purposes in Alaska between the dates of March
10 and September 1. The provisions in this part do not replace or alter the regulations set forth
in part 20 of this chapter, which relate to the hunting of migratory game birds and crows during
the regular open season from September 1 through March 10. The provisions set forth in this
part implement the exception to the closed season, which authorizes the taking of migratory
birds in Alaska for subsistence purposes between March 10 and September 1.
(b) Land ownership. This part does not alter the legal authorities of Federal and State
land managing agencies or the legal rights of private land owners to close their respective
lands to the taking of migratory birds.
(c) Federal public lands. The provisions of this part are in addition to, and do not
supersede, any other provision of law or regulation pertaining to national wildlife refuges or
other federally managed lands.
(d) Migratory bird permits. The provisions of this part do not alter the terms of any permit
or other authorization issued pursuant to part 21 of this chapter.
(e) State laws for the protection of migratory birds. No statute or regulation of the State of
Alaska relieves a person from the restrictions, conditions, and requirements contained in this
part. Nothing in this part, however, prevents the State of Alaska from making and enforcing
laws or regulations that are consistent with the regulations in this part, the conventions
between the United States and any foreign country for the protection of migratory birds, and
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and that give further protection to migratory birds.
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§92.4 Definitions.
The following definitions apply to all regulations contained in this part:
Alaska Native means the same as “Native,” defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act, 16 U.S.C. 1602(b).
Authentic Native article of handicraft or clothing means any item created by an Alaska
Native to which inedible parts of migratory birds authorized for use in handicrafts or clothing
are incorporated and which is fashioned by hand, or with limited use of machines, provided no
mass production occurs.
Closure means the season is closed to all forms of harvest, including hunting and egg
gathering, unless specified otherwise.
Co-management Council means the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council,
consisting of Alaska Native, Federal, and State of Alaska representatives as equals.
Edible meat means the meat from the breast, back, thighs, legs, wings, gizzard, and
heart. The head, neck, feet, other internal organs, and skin are considered inedible
byproducts, and not edible meat, for all provisions of this part.
Eligible person means an individual within the State of Alaska who qualifies to harvest
migratory birds and their eggs for subsistence purposes during the spring and summer.
Excluded areas are defined in §92.5.
Flyway Council means the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, or Pacific Flyway Council.
Game Management Unit, also referred to simply as Unit, means 1 of the 26 geographical
areas listed in the codified State of Alaska hunting and trapping regulations and on maps of
the Alaska State Game Management Units.
Immediate family means spouse, children, parents, grandchildren, grandparents, and
siblings.
Included areas are defined in §92.5.
Indigenous inhabitant means a permanent resident of a village within a subsistence
harvest area, regardless of race.
Migratory bird, for the purposes of this part, means the same as defined in §10.12 of
subchapter B of this chapter. Species eligible to harvest are listed in §92.32.
Migratory birds authorized for use in handicrafts or clothing means the species of birds
listed at §92.6(b) that were taken for food in a nonwasteful manner during the Alaska
subsistence-harvest season by an eligible person of an included area.
Native means the same as “Alaska Native” as defined in this section.

Nonwasteful taking means making a reasonable effort to retrieve all birds killed or
wounded, and retaining all edible meat until the birds have been transported to the location
where they will be consumed, processed, or preserved as human food.
Partner organization or regional partner means a regional or local organization, or a local
or tribal government that has entered into a formal agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service for the purpose of coordinating the regional programs necessary to involve
subsistence hunters in the regulatory process described in this part.
Permanent resident means any person whose primary, permanent home for the previous
12 months was within a subsistence harvest area in Alaska. Whenever absent from this
primary, permanent home, the person has the intention of returning to it. Factors
demonstrating a person's primary, permanent home may include: an address listed on an
Alaska Permanent Fund dividend application; an Alaska license to drive, hunt, fish, or engage
in an activity regulated by a government entity; voter registration; location of residences
owned, rented, or leased; location of stored household goods; the residence of the person's
spouse, minor children, or dependents; tax documents; whether the person claims residence
in another location for any purpose; or status as a tribal member of a tribe in a subsistence
harvest area.
Sale by consignment means that an Alaska Native sends or supplies an authentic Native
article of handicraft or clothing to a person who sells the item for the Alaska Native. The
consignment seller need not be an Alaska Native and the Alaska Native craftsman retains
ownership of the item and will receive money for the item when it is sold.
Seabirds refers to all bird species listed in §92.32 within the families Alcidae, Laridae,
Procellariidae, and Phalacrocoracidae.
Service Regulations Committee means the Migratory Bird Regulations Committee of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Shorebirds refers to all bird species listed in §92.32 within the families Charadriidae,
Haematopodidae, and Scolopacidae.
State means State of Alaska.
Subsistence means the customary and traditional harvest or use of migratory birds and
their eggs by eligible indigenous inhabitants for their own nutritional and other essential needs.
Subsistence harvest areas encompass customary and traditional hunting areas of villages
in Alaska that qualify for a spring or summer subsistence harvest of migratory birds under this
part.
Taxidermy refers to birds preserved and mounted in lifelike representations. Taxidermy
does not include preserving bird parts to be integrated into traditional arts and crafts.
Village is defined as a permanent settlement with one or more year-round residents.

Waterfowl refers to all bird species listed in §92.32 within the family Anatidae.
[67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 43027, July 21, 2003; 69 FR 17327, Apr. 2, 2004;
78 FR 11993, Feb. 21, 2013; 81 FR 18787, Apr. 1, 2016; 82 FR 34270, July 24, 2017]

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§92.5 Who is eligible to participate?
If you are a permanent resident of a village within a subsistence harvest area, you will be
eligible to harvest migratory birds and their eggs for subsistence purposes during the
applicable periods specified in subpart D of this part.
(a) Included areas. Village areas located within the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak
Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, or in areas north and west of the Alaska Range are
subsistence harvest areas, except that villages within these areas not meeting the criteria for a
subsistence harvest area as identified in paragraph (c) of this section will be excluded from the
spring and summer subsistence harvest.
(1) Any person may request the Co-management Council to recommend that an
otherwise included area be excluded by submitting a petition stating how the area does not
meet the criteria identified in paragraph (c) of this section. The Co-management Council will
forward petitions to the appropriate regional management body. The Co-management Council
will then consider each petition and will submit to the Service any recommendations to
exclude areas from the spring and summer subsistence harvest. The Service will publish any
approved recommendations for public comment in the F
R
.
(2) Based on petitions for inclusion recommended by the Co-management Council, the
Service has added the following communities to the included areas under this part:
(i) Upper Copper River Region—Gulkana, Gakona, Tazlina, Copper Center, Mentasta
Lake, Chitina, Chistochina.
(ii) Gulf of Alaska Region—Chugach Community of Tatitlek, Chugach Community of
Chenega, Chugach Community of Port Graham, Chugach Community of Nanwalek.
(iii) Cook Inlet Region—Tyonek.
(iv) Southeast Alaska Region—Hoonah, Craig, Hydaburg, and Yakutat.
(b) Excluded areas. Excluded areas are not subsistence harvest areas and are closed to
harvest. Residents of excluded areas are not eligible persons as defined in §92.4.
Communities located within the excluded areas provided in paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3) of this
section may petition the Co-management Council through their regional management body for
designation as a spring and summer subsistence harvest area. The petition must state how
the community meets the criteria identified in paragraph (c) of this section. The Comanagement Council will consider each petition and will submit to the Service any
recommendations to designate a community as a spring and summer subsistence harvest

area. The Service will publish any approved new designations of communities for public
comment in the F
R
. Excluded areas consist of the following:
(1) All areas outside of Alaska.
(2) Village areas located in Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Kenai
Peninsula roaded area, the Gulf of Alaska roaded area, Southeast Alaska, and the Central
Interior Excluded Area as described in paragraph (b)(3) of this section generally do not qualify
for a spring and summer harvest.
(3) The Central Interior Excluded Area comprises the following: That portion of Unit 20(A)
east of the Wood River drainage and south of Rex Trail, including the upper Wood River
drainage south of its confluence with Chicken Creek; that portion of Unit 20(C) east of Denali
National Park north to Rock Creek and east to Unit 20(A); and that portion of Unit 20(D) west
of the Tanana River between its confluence with the Johnson and Delta Rivers, west of the
east bank of the Johnson River, and north and west of the Volmar drainage, including the
Goodpaster River drainage. The following communities are within the Excluded Area: Delta
Junction/Big Delta/Fort Greely, McKinley Park/Village, Healy, Ferry, and all residents of the
formerly named Fairbanks North Star Borough Excluded Area.
(c) Criteria for determining designation as a spring and summer subsistence harvest
area. A previously excluded community may be included in the spring/summer harvest
regulations if recommended by the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council. The
Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council will recommend designation of subsistence
harvest areas based on a deliberative process using the best available information on
nutritional and cultural needs and customary and traditional use. The Alaska Migratory Bird
Co-management Council recommendations will accommodate traditional spring and summer
harvests without creating new traditions or increasing harvest of migratory birds.
Recommendations will be made based on the majority of factors and the weight of the
evidence using the following criteria:
(1) A pattern of use recurring in the spring and summer of each year prior to 1999,
excluding interruptions by circumstances beyond the user's control;
(2) The consistent harvest and use of migratory birds on or near the user's permanent
residence;
(3) A use pattern that includes the handing down of knowledge of hunting skills and
values from generation to generation;
(4) A use pattern in which migratory birds are shared or distributed among others within a
definable community of persons; a community for purposes of subsistence uses may include
specific villages or towns, with a historical pattern of subsistence use; and
(5) A use pattern that includes reliance for subsistence purposes upon migratory birds or
their eggs and that meets nutritional and other essential needs including, but not limited to,
cultural, social, and economic elements of the subsistence way of life.

(d) Participation by permanent residents of excluded areas. Immediate family members
who are residents of excluded areas may participate in the customary spring and summer
subsistence harvest in a village's subsistence area with permission of the village council, to
assist indigenous inhabitants in meeting their nutritional and other essential needs or for the
teaching of cultural knowledge. A letter of invitation will be sent by the village council to the
hunter with a copy to the Executive Director of the Co-management Council, who will inform
law enforcement and the Service's Co-management Council coordination office within 2
working days. The Service will then inform any affected Federal agency when residents of
excluded areas are allowed to participate in the subsistence harvest within their Federal lands.
[67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 43027, July 21, 2003; 69 FR 17327, Apr. 2, 2004;
70 FR 18248, Apr. 8, 2005; 72 FR 18322, Apr. 11, 2007; 79 FR 19458, Apr. 8, 2014]

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§92.6 Use and possession of migratory birds.
You may not sell, offer for sale, purchase, or offer to purchase migratory birds, their parts,
or their eggs taken under this part, except as provided in this section.
(a) Giving and receiving migratory birds. Under this part, you may take migratory birds for
human consumption only. Harvest and possession of migratory birds must be conducted using
nonwasteful taking. Edible meat of migratory birds may be given to immediate family members
by eligible persons. Inedible byproducts of migratory birds taken for food may be used for
other purposes, except that taxidermy is prohibited, and these byproducts may only be given
to other eligible persons or Alaska Natives.
(b) Authentic native articles of handicraft or clothing. (1) Under this section, authentic
native articles of handicraft or clothing may be produced for sale only from the following bird
species:
(i) Tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus).
(ii) Blue-winged teal (Anas discors).
(iii) Redhead (Aythya americana).
(iv) Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris).
(v) Greater scaup (Aythya marila).
(vi) Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis).
(vii) King eider (Somateria spectabilis).
(viii) Common eider (Somateria mollissima).
(ix) Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata).

(x) White-winged scoter (Melanitta fusca).
(xi) Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandica).
(xii) Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus).
(xiii) Pacific loon (Gavia pacifica).
(xiv) Common loon (Gavia immer).
(xv) Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus).
(xvi) Black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani).
(xvii) Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes).
(xviii) Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris semipalmatus).
(xix) Western sandpiper (Calidris mauri).
(xx) Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata).
(xxi) Bonaparte's gull (Larus philadelphia).
(xxii) Mew gull (Larus canus).
(xxiii) Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris).
(xxiv) Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea).
(xxv) Black guillemot (Cepphus grylle).
(xxvi) Cassin's auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus).
(xxvii) Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).
(2) Only Alaska Natives may sell or re-sell any authentic native article of handicraft or
clothing that contains an inedible byproduct of a bird listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section
that was taken for food during the Alaska migratory bird subsistence harvest season. Eligibility
under this paragraph (b)(2) can be shown by a Tribal Enrollment Card, Bureau of Indian
Affairs card, or membership in the Silver Hand program. All sales and transportation of sold
items are restricted to within the United States. Each sold item must be accompanied by either
a certification (FWS Form 3-2484) signed by the artist or a Silver Hand insignia. Purchasers
must retain this documentation and produce it upon the request of a law enforcement officer.
(3) Sales by consignment are allowed. Each consigned item must be accompanied by
either a certification (FWS Form 3-2484) signed by the artist or Silver Hand insignia. All
consignees, sellers, and purchasers must retain this documentation with each item and

produce it upon the request of a law enforcement officer. All consignment sales are restricted
to within the United States.
(4) The Office of Management and Budget reviewed and approved the information
collection requirements contained in this section and assigned OMB Control No. 1018-0168.
We use the information to monitor and enforce the regulations. We may not conduct or
sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. You may send comments on the information collection
requirements to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at
the address listed at 50 CFR 2.1(b).
[82 FR 34270, July 24, 2017]

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§§92.7-92.9 [Reserved]
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Subpart B—Program Structure
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§92.10 Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council.
(a) Establishment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hereby establishes, as authorized
by the Protocol amending the Canada Treaty, a statewide management body to be known as
the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council.
(b) Membership. The Co-management Council must include Alaska Native, Federal, and
State of Alaska representatives, as equals.
(1) The Federal and State governments will each seat one representative. The Federal
representative will be appointed by the Alaska Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the State representative will be appointed by the Commissioner of the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game. Regional partner organizations may seat 1 representative from
each of the 12 regions identified in §92.11(a).
(2) The Federal and State representatives and the collective Native representatives will
each have one vote, for a total of three votes for the entire council.
(c) Roles and responsibilities. The Co-management Council is authorized to:
(1) Hold public meetings for the purpose of conducting business related to spring and
summer subsistence harvest of migratory birds;
(2) Develop recommendations for regulations governing the spring and summer
subsistence harvest of migratory birds and their eggs;

(3) Develop recommendations for, among other things, law enforcement policies,
population and harvest monitoring, education programs, research and use of traditional
knowledge, and habitat protection;
(4) Develop procedures and criteria by which areas and communities can be determined
to be eligible or ineligible for a spring/summer subsistence harvest;
(5) Provide guidelines to the regional management bodies each year for formulation of
annual regulations;
(6) Consolidate regional recommendations and resolve interregional differences in order
to prepare statewide recommendations;
(7) Establish committees to gather or review data, develop plans for Co-management
Council actions, and coordinate programs with regional management bodies;
(8) Send regional representatives from the Co-management Council to meetings of the
Pacific Flyway Council and to meetings of the other Flyway Councils as needed, and to
meetings of the Service Regulations Committee;
(9) Elect officers; and
(10) Conduct other business as the Council may determine is necessary to accomplish its
purpose.
(d) Meetings. Meetings of the Co-management Council will be open to the public. The Comanagement Council will:
(1) Hold meetings at least twice annually;
(2) Conduct meetings in accordance with bylaws approved by the Co-management
Council;
(3) Provide an opportunity at each meeting for public comment;
(4) Establish the dates, times, and locations of meetings; and
(5) Maintain a written record of all meetings.
(e) Staff support. Administrative support for the Co-management Council will be provided
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and will include, but not be limited to:
(1) Making arrangements for the meeting rooms and associated logistics related to Comanagement Council meetings;
(2) Preparing public notices announcing Co-management Council meetings;
(3) Maintaining records of discussions and actions taken by the Co-management Council;

(4) Coordinating with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to provide technical
information needed by the Co-management Council for its deliberations;
(5) Preparing documents and gathering information needed by the Co-management
Council for its meetings; and
(6) Preparing the annual subpart D regulations package recommended by the Comanagement Council for submission to the flyway councils and the Service Regulations
Committee.
[67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 43027, July 21, 2003]

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§92.11 Regional management areas.
(a) Regions identified. To allow for maximum participation by residents of subsistence
eligible areas, the Alaska Regional Director of the Service established 12 geographic regions
based on common subsistence resource use patterns and the 12 Alaska Native regional
corporation boundaries established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Despite
using the Alaska Native regional corporation boundaries, we are not working directly with the
regional corporations in this program and are instead working with the Alaska Native nonprofit
groups and local governments in those corresponding regions. You may obtain records and
maps delineating the boundaries of the 12 regions from the U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Ave., No. 13, Anchorage, AK
99513. The regions are identified as follows:
(1) Aleutian/Pribilof Islands;
(2) Kodiak Archipelago;
(3) Bristol Bay;
(4) Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta;
(5) Bering Strait/Norton Sound;
(6) Northwest Arctic;
(7) North Slope;
(8) Interior;
(9) Southeast;
(10) Gulf of Alaska;
(11) Upper Copper River; and
(12) Cook Inlet.

(b) Regional partnerships. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will establish partner
agreements with at least 1 partner organization in each of the 12 regions. The partner
organization identified must be willing and able to coordinate the regional program on behalf of
all subsistence hunters within that region. A regional partner will:
(1) Organize or identify one or more management bodies within the region in which it is
located.
(2) Determine how the management body for the region should be organized, the manner
in which it should function, its size, who serves on it, the length of terms, methods of involving
subsistence users, and other related matters.
(3) Coordinate regional meetings and the solicitation of proposals.
(4) Ensure appointment of a person to represent the region by serving on the Comanagement Council. If a region consists of more than one partner organization, each partner
organization may appoint a member to sit on the Co-management Council.
(5) Keep the residents of villages within the region informed of issues related to the
subsistence harvest of migratory birds.
(6) Work cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game to gather harvest data, numbers of subsistence users, and other
management data and traditional knowledge for the benefit of the management bodies.
(c) Regional management bodies. (1) Regional management bodies must provide a forum
for the collection and expression of opinions and recommendations regarding spring and
summer subsistence harvesting of migratory birds. They must develop requests and
recommendations from the region to be presented to the Co-management Council for
deliberation. They must provide for public participation in the meetings at which
recommendations and requests are formulated.
(2) Requests and recommendations to the Co-management Council may involve seasons
and bag limits, methods and means, law enforcement policies, population and harvest
monitoring, education programs, research and use of traditional knowledge, habitat protection,
and other concerns related to migratory bird subsistence programs.
(3) Regional management bodies may be established specifically for the purpose of
carrying out the responsibilities identified in this part, or they may be existing entities that can
add these responsibilities to their existing duties.
[67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 43027, July 21, 2003]

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§92.12 Relationship to the process for developing national hunting regulations for
migratory game birds.

(a) Flyway councils. (1) Proposed annual regulations recommended by the Comanagement Council will be submitted to all flyway councils for review and comment. The
Council's recommendations must be submitted prior to the SRC's last regular meeting of the
calendar year in order to be approved for spring/summer harvest beginning March 11 of the
following calendar year.
(2) Alaska Native representatives may be appointed by the Co-management Council to
attend meetings of one or more of the four flyway councils to discuss recommended
regulations or other proposed management actions.
(b) Service regulations committee. Proposed annual regulations recommended by the Comanagement Council will be submitted to the Service Regulations Committee for their review
and recommendation to the Service Director. Following the Service Director's review and
recommendation, the proposals will be forwarded to the Department of Interior for approval.
Proposed annual regulations will then be published in the F
R
for public review
and comment, similar to the annual migratory game bird hunting regulations (found in part 20
of this chapter). Final spring/summer regulations for Alaska will be published in the F
R
in the preceding Fall.
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§§92.13-92.19 [Reserved]
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Subpart C—General Regulations Governing Subsistence Harvest
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§92.20 Methods and means.
You may not use the following devices and methods to harvest migratory birds:
(a) Swivel guns, shotguns larger than 10 gauge, punt guns, battery guns, machine guns,
fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, or stupefying substances;
(b) Shooting from a sinkbox or any other type of low-floating device that affords the hunter
a means of concealment beneath the surface of the water;
(c) Hunting from any type of aircraft;
(d) Taking waterfowl and other species using live birds as decoys, except for auklets on
Diomede and St. Lawrence islands (Use of live birds as decoys is a customary and traditional
means of harvesting auklets on Diomede and St. Lawrence islands.);
(e) Hunting with the aid of recorded bird calls;
(f) Using any type of vehicle, aircraft, or boat for the purpose of concentrating, driving,
rallying, or stirring up of any migratory bird, except boats may be used to position a hunter;

(g) Having in possession or using lead or other toxic shot while hunting (Approved
nontoxic shot types are listed in §20.21(j) of subchapter B.);
(h) Shooting while on or across any road or highway;
(i) Using an air boat (Interior and Bristol Bay Regions only) or jet ski (Interior Region only)
for hunting or transporting hunters;
(j) Using private or chartered aircraft for hunting or transporting hunters, except for
transportation between community airstrips (Unit 18, Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta Region only); or
(k) By the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area, where a person knows or
reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited, as provided at 50 CFR 20.21(i)
and 16 U.S.C. 704(b).
[68 FR 43028, July 21, 2003, as amended at 69 FR 17327, Apr. 2, 2004; 70 FR 18248, Apr. 8, 2005;
71 FR 10408, Feb. 28, 2006; 72 FR 18323, Apr. 11, 2007]

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§92.21 Emergency closures.
(a) The Regional Director, after consultation with the Co-management Council, may close
or temporarily suspend any regulation established under subparts C or D of this part:
(1) Upon finding that a continuation of the regulation would pose an imminent threat to the
conservation of any endangered or threatened species or other migratory bird population; and
(2) Upon issuance of local public notice by such means as publication in local
newspapers of general circulation, posting of the areas affected, notifying the State wildlife
conservation agency, and announcement on the internet and local radio and television.
(b) The Service will also announce any such closure or temporary suspension by
publication of a notice in the F
R
simultaneously with the local public notice
referred to in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. However, in the event that publishing a F
R
notice simultaneously with the local public notice is impractical, we will publish in
the F
R
as soon as possible after the steps outlined in paragraph (a) of this
section are taken.
(c) Any closure or temporary suspension under this section will be effective on the date of
publication of the F
R
notice; or if such notice is not published simultaneously
with the notification methods described in paragraph (a) of this section, then on the date and
at the time specified in the local notification to the public given under paragraph (a)(2) of this
section. Every notice of closure or temporary suspension will include the date and time of the
closing, the area or areas affected, and the species affected. In the case of a temporary
suspension, the date and time when the harvest may be resumed will also be provided by
local notification to the public and by publication in the F
R
as provided for in
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

[68 FR 43028, July 21, 2003]

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§92.22 Subsistence migratory bird species.
You may harvest birds or gather eggs from the following species, listed in taxonomic
order, within all included areas except Southeast Alaska, which is restricted to Glaucouswinged gull egg harvesting only. When birds are listed at the species level, all subspecies
existing in Alaska are also open to harvest. All bird species not listed are closed to harvesting
and egg gathering.
(a) Family Anatidae. (1) Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons).
(2) Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens).
(3) Emperor goose (Chen canagica).
(4) Canada goose (Branta canadensis).
(5) Canada goose, subspecies Aleutian goose—except in the Semidi Islands.
(6) Canada goose, subspecies cackling goose.
(7) Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans)—except no egg gathering is permitted in the
Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta and the North Slope regions.
(8) Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)—except in Units 9(D) and 10.
(9) Gadwall (Anas strepera).
(10) Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope).
(11) American Wigeon (Anas americana).
(12) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).
(13) Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors).
(14) Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata).
(15) Northern Pintail (Anas acuta).
(16) Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca).
(17) Canvasback (Aythya valisineria).
(18) Redhead (Aythya americana).
(19) Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris).

(20) Greater Scaup (Aythya marila).
(21) Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis).
(22) King Eider (Somateria spectabilis).
(23) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima).
(24) Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus).
(25) Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata).
(26) White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca).
(27) Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra).
(28) Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis).
(29) Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola).
(30) Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula).
(31) Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica).
(32) Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus).
(33) Common Merganser (Mergus merganser).
(34) Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator).
(b) Family Gaviidae. (1) Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata).
(2) Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica).
(3) Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica).
(4) Common Loon (Gavia immer).
(5) Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii)—In the North Slope Region only, a total of up to 20
yellow-billed loons inadvertently caught in fishing nets may be kept for subsistence purposes.
(c) Family Podicipedidae. (1) Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus).
(2) Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena).
(d) Family Procellariidae. (1) Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis).
(2) [Reserved]
(e) Family Phalacrocoracidae. (1) Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus).

(2) Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus).
(f) Family Gruidae. (1) Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis).
(2) [Reserved]
(g) Family Charadriidae. (1) Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola).
(2) Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula).
(h) Family Haematopodidae. (1) Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani).
(2) [Reserved]
(i) Family Scolopacidae. (1) Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca).
(2) Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes).
(3) Spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius).
(4) Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica).
(5) Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres).
(6) Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla).
(7) Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri).
(8) Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla).
(9) Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii).
(10) Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata).
(11) Dunlin (Calidris alpina).
(12) Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus).
(13) Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata).
(14) Red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus).
(15) Red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius).
(j) Family Laridae. (1) Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus).
(2) Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus).
(3) Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus).
(4) Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia).

(5) Mew Gull (Larus canus).
(6) Herring Gull (Larus argentatus).
(7) Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus).
(8) Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens).
(9) Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus).
(10) Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini).
(11) Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).
(12) Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris).
(13) Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea).
(14) Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea).
(15) Aleutian tern (Onychoprion aleuticus).
(k) Family Alcidae. (1) Common Murre (Uria aalge).
(2) Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia).
(3) Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle).
(4) Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba).
(5) Cassin's Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus).
(6) Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula).
(7) Least Auklet (Aethia pusilla).
(8) Whiskered Auklet (Aethia pygmaea).
(9) Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella).
(10) Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata).
(11) Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata).
(12) Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata).
(l) Family Strigidae. (1) Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).
(2) Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus).

[73 FR 13791, Mar. 14, 2008, as amended at 81 FR 18787, Apr. 1, 2016; 82 FR 16304, Apr. 4, 2017;
83 FR 13688, Mar. 30, 2018]

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§§92.23-92.29 [Reserved]
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Subpart D—Annual Regulations Governing Subsistence Harvest
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§92.30 General overview of regulations.
These regulations establish a spring/summer migratory bird subsistence harvest in
Alaska. The regulations list migratory bird species that are authorized for harvest, species that
are not authorized for harvest, season dates, and dates for a 30-day closure to protect nesting
birds. The Co-management Council will review and, if necessary, recommend modifications to
these harvest regulations on an annual basis, working within the schedule of the Federal lateseason regulations for migratory game bird hunting.
(a) The taking, possession, transportation, and other uses of migratory birds are generally
prohibited unless specifically authorized by regulation developed in accordance with the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Therefore, harvesting migratory birds is prohibited unless
regulations are established ensuring the protection of the various populations of migratory
birds. Migratory bird population levels, production, and habitat conditions vary annually. These
conditions differ within Alaska and throughout North America. Therefore, the regulations
governing migratory bird hunting may include annual adjustments to keep harvests within
acceptable levels.
(b) The development of the regulations in this part, like the development of the annual
migratory game bird hunting regulations in part 20 of this chapter, involves annual data
gathering programs to determine migratory bird population status and trends, evaluate habitat
conditions, determine harvests, and consider other factors having an impact on the anticipated
size of annual populations.
(c) The Service proposes annual migratory game bird hunting regulations in the F
R
in the spring for seasons beginning September 1 of that year. Following
consideration of additional biological information and public comment, the Service publishes
supplemental proposals throughout the summer. These are also open to public comment.
(d) Sections 92.31 through 92.39 provide for the annual harvest of migratory birds and
their eggs during spring and summer for subsistence users in Alaska.
[67 FR 53517, Aug. 16, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 43028, July 21, 2003]

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§92.31 Region-specific regulations.
Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 73233, Nov. 17, 2020.
The season dates for the eligible subsistence-harvest areas are as follows:
(a) Aleutian/Pribilof Islands region. (1) Northern Unit (Pribilof Islands):
(i) Season: April 2-June 30.
(ii) Closure: July 1-August 31.
(2) Central Unit (Aleutian Region's eastern boundary on the Alaska Peninsula westward
to and including Unalaska Island):
(i) Season: April 2-June 15 and July 16-August 31.
(ii) Closure: June 16-July 15.
(iii) Special Black Brant Season Closure: August 16-August 31, only in Izembek and
Moffet lagoons.
(iv) Special Tundra Swan Closure: All hunting and egg gathering closed in Game
Management Units 9(D) and 10.
(3) Western Unit (Umnak Island west to and including Attu Island):
(i) Season: April 2-July 15 and August 16-August 31.
(ii) Closure: July 16-August 15.
(b) Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta region. (1) Season: April 2-August 31.
(2) Closure: 30-day closure dates to be announced by the Service's Alaska Regional
Director or his designee, after consultation with field biologists and the Association of Village
Council President's Waterfowl Conservation Committee. This 30-day period will occur
between June 1 and August 15 of each year. A press release announcing the actual closure
dates will be forwarded to regional newspapers and radio and television stations.
(3) Special Black Brant Season Hunting Closure: From the period when egg laying begins
until young birds are fledged. Closure dates to be announced by the Service's Alaska
Regional Director or his designee, after consultation with field biologists and the Association of
Village Council President's Waterfowl Conservation Committee. A press release announcing
the actual closure dates will be forwarded to regional newspapers and radio and television
stations.
(c) Bristol Bay region. (1) Season: April 2-June 14 and July 16-August 31 (general
season); April 2-July 15 for seabird egg gathering only.

(2) Closure: June 15-July 15 (general season); July 16-August 31 (seabird egg
gathering).
(d) Bering Strait/Norton Sound region. (1) Stebbins/St. Michael Area (Point Romanof to
Canal Point):
(i) Season: April 15-June 14 and July 16-August 31.
(ii) Closure: June 15-July 15.
(2) Remainder of the region:
(i) Season: April 2-June 14 and July 16-August 31 for waterfowl; April 2-July 19 and
August 21-August 31 for all other birds.
(ii) Closure: June 15-July 15 for waterfowl; July 20-August 20 for all other birds.
(e) Kodiak Archipelago region, except for the Kodiak Island roaded area, which is closed
to the harvesting of migratory birds and their eggs. The closed area consists of all lands and
waters (including exposed tidelands) east of a line extending from Crag Point in the north to
the west end of Saltery Cove in the south and all lands and water south of a line extending
from Termination Point along the north side of Cascade Lake extending to Anton Larsen Bay.
Marine waters adjacent to the closed area are closed to harvest within 500 feet from the
water's edge. The offshore islands are open to harvest.
(1) Season: April 2-June 30 and July 31-August 31 for seabirds; April 2-June 20 and July
22-August 31 for all other birds.
(2) Closure: July 1-July 30 for seabirds; June 21-July 21 for all other birds.
(f) Northwest Arctic region. (1) Season: April 2-June 14 and July 16-August 31 (hunting in
general); waterfowl egg gathering April 2-June 14 only; seabird egg gathering May 20-July 12
only; hunting molting/non-nesting waterfowl July 1-July 15 only.
(2) Closure: June 15-July 15, except for the taking of seabird eggs and molting/nonnesting waterfowl as provided in paragraph (f)(1) of this section.
(g) North Slope region. (1) Southern Unit (Southwestern North Slope regional boundary
east to Peard Bay, everything west of the longitude line 158°30′ W and south of the latitude
line 70°45′ N to the west bank of the Ikpikpuk River, and everything south of the latitude line
69°45′ N between the west bank of the Ikpikpuk River to the east bank of Sagavinirktok River):
(i) Season: April 2-June 29 and July 30-August 31 for seabirds; April 2-June 19 and July
20-August 31 for all other birds.
(ii) Closure: June 30-July 29 for seabirds; June 20-July 19 for all other birds.
(iii) Special Black Brant Hunting Opening: From June 20-July 5. The open area consists
of the coastline, from mean high water line outward to include open water, from Nokotlek Point

east to longitude line 158°30′ W. This includes Peard Bay, Kugrua Bay, and Wainwright Inlet,
but not the Kuk and Kugrua river drainages.
(2) Northern Unit (At Peard Bay, everything east of the longitude line 158°30′ W and north
of the latitude line 70°45′ N to west bank of the Ikpikpuk River, and everything north of the
latitude line 69°45′ N between the west bank of the Ikpikpuk River to the east bank of
Sagavinirktok River):
(i) Season: April 2-June 6 and July 7-August 31 for king and common eiders; April 2-June
15 and July 16-August 31 for all other birds.
(ii) Closure: June 7-July 6 for king and common eiders; June 16-July 15 for all other birds.
(3) Eastern Unit (East of eastern bank of the Sagavanirktok River):
(i) Season: April 2-June 19 and July 20-August 31.
(ii) Closure: June 20-July 19.
(4) All Units: yellow-billed loons. Annually, up to 20 yellow-billed loons total for the region
inadvertently entangled in subsistence fishing nets in the North Slope Region may be kept for
subsistence use.
(5) North Coastal Zone (Cape Thompson north to Point Hope and east along the Arctic
Ocean coastline around Point Barrow to Ross Point, including Iko Bay, and 5 miles inland).
(i) No person may at any time, by any means, or in any manner, possess or have in
custody any migratory bird or part thereof, taken in violation of subparts C and D of this part.
(ii) Upon request from a Service law enforcement officer, hunters taking, attempting to
take, or transporting migratory birds taken during the subsistence harvest season must
present them to the officer for species identification.
(h) Interior region. (1) Season: April 2-June 14 and July 16-August 31; egg gathering May
1-June 14 only.
(2) Closure: June 15-July 15.
(i) Upper Copper River region (Harvest Area: Game Management Units 11 and 13)
(Eligible communities: Gulkana, Chitina, Tazlina, Copper Center, Gakona, Mentasta Lake,
Chistochina and Cantwell).
(1) Season: April 15-May 26 and June 27-August 31.
(2) Closure: May 27-June 26.
(3) The Copper River Basin communities listed above also documented traditional use
harvesting birds in Game Management Unit 12, making them eligible to hunt in this unit using
the seasons specified in paragraph (h) of this section.

(j) Gulf of Alaska region. (1) Prince William Sound Area West (Harvest area: Game
Management Unit 6[D]), (Eligible Chugach communities: Chenega Bay, Tatitlek):
(i) Season: April 2-May 31 and July 1-August 31.
(ii) Closure: June 1-30.
(2) Prince William Sound Area East (Harvest area: Game Management Units 6[B]and [C]
—Barrier Islands between Strawberry Channel and Softtuk Bar), (Eligible Chugach
communities: Cordova, Tatitlek, and Chenega Bay):
(i) Season: April 2-April 30 (hunting); May 1-May 31 (gull egg gathering).
(ii) Closure: May 1-August 31 (hunting); April 2-30 and June 1-August 31 (gull egg
gathering).
(iii) Species Open for Hunting: Greater white-fronted goose; snow goose; gadwall;
Eurasian and American wigeon; blue-winged and green-winged teal; mallard; northern
shoveler; northern pintail; canvasback; redhead; ring-necked duck; greater and lesser scaup;
king and common eider; harlequin duck; surf, white-winged, and black scoter; long-tailed duck;
bufflehead; common and Barrow's goldeneye; hooded, common, and red-breasted
merganser; and sandhill crane. Species open for egg gathering: glaucous-winged, herring,
and mew gulls.
(iv) Use of Boats/All-Terrain Vehicles: No hunting from motorized vehicles or any form of
watercraft.
(v) Special Registration: All hunters or egg gatherers must possess an annual permit,
which is available from the Cordova offices of the Native Village of Eyak and the U.S. Forest
Service.
(3) Kachemak Bay Area (Harvest area: Game Management Unit 15[C] South of a line
connecting the tip of Homer Spit to the mouth of Fox River) (Eligible Chugach Communities:
Port Graham, Nanwalek):
(i) Season: April 2-May 31 and July 1-August 31.
(ii) Closure: June 1-30.
(k) Cook Inlet (Harvest area: portions of Game Management Unit 16[B] as specified
below) (Eligible communities: Tyonek only):
(1) Season: April 2-May 31—That portion of Game Management Unit 16(B) south of the
Skwentna River and west of the Yentna River, and August 1-31—That portion of Game
Management Unit 16(B) south of the Beluga River, Beluga Lake, and the Triumvirate Glacier.
(2) Closure: June 1-July 31.

(l) Southeast Alaska. (1) Community of Hoonah (Harvest area: National Forest lands in
Icy Strait and Cross Sound, including Middle Pass Rock near the Inian Islands, Table Rock in
Cross Sound, and other traditional locations on the coast of Yakobi Island. The land and
waters of Glacier Bay National Park remain closed to all subsistence harvesting (50 CFR part
100.3(a)):
(i) Season: glaucous-winged gull egg gathering only: May 15-June 30.
(ii) Closure: July 1-August 31.
(2) Communities of Craig and Hydaburg (Harvest area: small islands and adjacent
shoreline of western Prince of Wales Island from Point Baker to Cape Chacon, but also
including Coronation and Warren islands):
(i) Season: glaucous-winged gull egg gathering only: May 15-June 30.
(ii) Closure: July 1-August 31.
(3) Community of Yakutat (Harvest area: Icy Bay (Icy Cape to Point Riou), and coastal
lands and islands bordering the Gulf of Alaska from Point Manby southeast to and including
Dry Bay):
(i) Season: glaucous-winged gull egg gathering: May 15-June 30.
(ii) Closure: July 1-August 31.
[84 FR 12951, Apr. 3, 2019, as amended at 85 FR 18459, Apr. 2, 2020]

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§92.32 Emergency regulations to protect Steller's eiders.
Upon finding that continuation of these subsistence regulations would pose an imminent
threat to the conservation of threatened Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri), the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Director, in consultation with the Co-management Council,
will immediately under §92.21 take action as is necessary to prevent further take. Regulation
changes implemented could range from a temporary closure of duck hunting in a small
geographic area to large-scale regional or statewide long-term closures of all subsistence
migratory bird hunting. These closures or temporary suspensions will remain in effect until the
Regional Director, in consultation with the Co-management Council, determines that the
potential for additional Steller's eiders to be taken no longer exists.
[84 FR 12952, Apr. 3, 2019]

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§§92.33-92.39 [Reserved]