Alaska Natives Should Keep River Priority, Groups Tell Top Court

Alaska Natives who rely on the river for subsistence fishing should continue to get priority access to the state’s rivers under federal law, the tribal groups said in a US Supreme Court brief filed Tuesday.

The Trump administration agreed in a separate brief that the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, or ANILCA, established a standard for subsistence fishing priority on rivers that flow through federal land in the state.

The 1980 law establishes authority over certain public lands in Alaska, including “waters.” The state in September petitioned the justices ...