(a) Consistent with the management of fish and wildlife in accordance with recognized scientific principles and the purposes for which each park area was established, designated, or expanded by ANILCA, the purpose of this subpart is to provide the opportunity for local rural residents engaged in a subsistence way of life to do so pursuant to applicable State and Federal law.

(b) Consistent with sound management principles, and the conservation of healthy populations of fish and wildlife, the utilization of park areas is to cause the least adverse impact possible on local rural residents who depend upon subsistence uses of the resources of the public lands in Alaska.

(c) Nonwasteful subsistence uses of fish, wildlife and other renewable resources by local rural residents shall be the priority consumptive uses of such resources over any other consumptive uses permitted within park areas pursuant to applicable State and Federal law.

(d) Whenever it is necessary to restrict the taking of a fish or wildlife population within a park area for subsistence uses in order to assure the continued viability of such population or to continue subsistence uses of such population, the population shall be allocated among local rural residents engaged in subsistence uses in accordance with a subsistence priority system based on the following criteria:

(1) Customary and direct dependence upon the resource as the mainstay of one's livelihood;

(2) Local residency; and

(3) Availability of alternative resources.

(e) Nothing in this subpart shall be construed as permitting a level of subsistence use of fish and wildlife within park areas to be inconsistent with the conservation of healthy populations, and within a national park or monument to be inconsistent with the conservation of natural and healthy populations, of fish and wildlife.

[71 FR 69333, Nov. 30, 2006, as amended at 80 FR 64344, Oct. 23, 2015]