The state of Alaska is suing two federal agencies over game management on national refuges and preserves.
The lawsuit filed Friday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service challenges their prohibition of certain hunting methods and management techniques approved by the state.
Among the “customary and traditional methods of harvest” the lawsuit says are prohibited by the agencies is the killing of black bears in dens using artificial light.
The lawsuit says killing sows and cubs was approved by the state Board of Game for the benefit of rural subsistence hunters.
The agencies also prohibited shooting brown bears over bait stations.
Gov. Bill Walker says residents rely on hunting to put food on the table and the federal regulations affect Alaskans’ basic means of survival.
