Murkowski Comments on State of Alaska Response to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this evening issued the following statement on the State of Alaska's action in response the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's blocking Alaska's plans to control predators on Unimak Island.
"I strongly support the State of Alaska's legal action for injunctive relief. I understand the federal government owns the land, but the Department of Interior's mandate to manage for natural diversity shouldn't include letting a distinct population go extinct. Those are Alaska's caribou and our constitution requires management of wildlife on the sustained yield principle.
"I believe the State has a right to take emergency action to protect the viability of Unimak caribou herd and, in particular, to protect the few remaining calves. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been unresponsive to the State's requests and has unreasonably delayed action. The Unimak herd is vitally important to local subsistence hunters and the disastrously low population must be protected".
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