A request by the Bethel-based Association of Village Council Presidents would see hunting of Mulchatna Caribou in Bristol Bay and the Kuskokwim closed to all but federally-qualified users living in those areas from now until July 1 of next year.
“You know, we have a resource that needs to be conserved,” Timothy Andrew, the AVCP’s Director of Natural Resources, said. “It’s a very important food source for the federally qualified hunters that reside in the Bristol Bay area and also in the Kuskokwim area as well.”
The population of the Mulchatna Caribou herd peaked around 200,000 in 1996, and at last count was down near 30,000.
The Association of Village Council Presidents has asked the Federal Subsistence Board to take the Temporary Special Action in order to let the population rebound.
