North Slope Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meeting in Utqiaġvik Feb. 24-25

The North Slope Subsistence Regional Advisory Council will meet February 24-25 at the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Utqiaġvik. The meeting will begin at 09:00 a.m. (AKST) daily. Council members and community participants will develop proposals to change Federal subsistence fish and shellfish regulations and discuss other issues related to subsistence in the North Slope Region.

The meeting is part of a statewide series of Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council public meetings scheduled between late February and early April to craft proposals for the 2027-2029 regulatory years. “The Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils will hold public meetings between February 24 and April 1, 2026, to develop proposals to change federal subsistence fish and shellfish regulations for the 2027-2029 regulatory years and discuss other issues affecting subsistence in their regions,” the Interior Department advisory states. Councils convene “twice a year to provide advice and recommendations to the Board about subsistence hunting and fishing issues on Federal public lands in Alaska.”

Local residents are invited to participate in person; “The public is encouraged to attend and participate in this meeting.” For those who cannot travel, remote access is available. “To join the meeting by teleconference, dial toll-free (833) 436-1163, then when prompted enter the phone conference ID: 322 607 333#.” The meeting can also be joined via Microsoft Teams: “CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE MEETING.” Federal notices also make clear that “Teleconferences will substitute for in-person meetings if public health or safety restrictions are in effect.”

The North Slope meeting sits alongside a full winter schedule of Regional Advisory Council sessions across Alaska. Winter 2026 meetings include Region 6 Western Interior in Fairbanks on Feb. 24-25, Region 3 Kodiak/Aleutians in Kodiak on March 4-5, Region 9 Eastern Interior in Fairbanks on March 3-5, Region 4 Bristol Bay in Naknek on March 9-10, Region 1 Southeast Alaska in Juneau on March 10-12, Region 2 Southcentral in Anchorage on March 17-18, Region 5 Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Bethel on March 17-19, Region 7 Seward Peninsula in Nome on March 30-31, and Region 8 Northwest Arctic in Kotzebue on March 31-April 1. Fall meeting dates for 2026 have also been posted for each region.

Agenda items for winter meetings typically include general council business such as review and adoption of the agenda, election of officers, and review and approval of previous meeting minutes. Councils will then take up development of proposals and recommendations to the Federal Subsistence Board for consideration in the regulatory cycle.

A related Federal Subsistence Board work session took place in Anchorage on Feb. 5 in the Gordon Watson Conference Room at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 E. Tudor Road. That session convened the Board to continue its work ahead of the regional meetings.

For email updates on Federal Subsistence Management Program activities, requests should be sent to subsistence@ios.doi.gov. Publications and formal Federal Register notices use both spellings Utqiaġvik and Utqiagvik; the North Slope meeting dates of Feb. 24-25 are consistent across the notices. Residents and harvesters who rely on marine and freshwater harvests should track proposals emerging from this meeting because council recommendations shape the federal regulatory framework for the next three-year management period.