"Huge Win" For Ahtna People & Rural Alaskans Comes From Supreme Court, Ahtna Says

Photo, graphic of Katie John. (Copper River Country Journal)

Ahtna, Inc. Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision Upholding Subsistence Fishing Protections 

PRESS RELEASE FROM AHTNA, JANUARY 12TH, 2026  

Glennallen, AK — Ahtna, Inc. today welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to deny the State of Alaska’s petition seeking to overturn decades of settled law protecting rural and Tribal subsistence fishing rights. The Court’s action leaves intact long‑standing precedent affirming the federal government’s responsibility under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) to ensure a rural subsistence priority on navigable waters connected to federal lands.

“This is a huge win for our people and all rural Alaskans who depend on subsistence fishing for food, culture, and survival,” said Clint Marshall, Ahtna, Inc. Board Chairman. “The Supreme Court’s decision confirms what courts have recognized for more than 30 years: Congress made a clear promise in ANILCA, and that promise must be honored.”

The Supreme Court’s order declined to hear the State of Alaska’s challenge to a Ninth Circuit ruling that barred the state from opening portions of the Kuskokwim River to all fishers during a shortage. The lower court had concluded that the state’s approach conflicted with Title VIII of ANILCA, which mandates a rural subsistence priority on federal public lands and waters where federal lands are present.


Protecting a Landmark Subsistence Framework
The case stemmed from a 2021 dispute over salmon management on the Kuskokwim River, when state and federal managers issued conflicting emergency fishing orders amid historically low Chinook salmon runs. Federal managers limited subsistence fishing in certain reaches of the river to rural residents, while the state sought to open fishing more broadly.

The federal courts sided with the United States and Tribal and Alaska Native organizations, including Ahtna, Inc., reaffirming a legal framework that traces its roots to the landmark Katie John litigation. That series of cases began in 1984, when Ahtna Elder Katie John sued to protect her people’s right to fish in their traditional waters. The resulting decisions established that navigable waters connected to federal lands fall within ANILCA’s subsistence protections.

“For Ahtna, this case is deeply personal,” said Michelle Anderson, Ahtna, Inc. President. “The supreme court’s refusal to reopen this issue honors Katie John’s legacy and the many other Ahtna Elders who have worked hard to protect Ahtna’s hunting and fishing rights.”


A Path Forward Rooted in Respect and Collaboration
Ahtna, Inc. emphasized that the ruling does not prevent cooperation between the state, federal agencies, Native Corporations and Tribes in managing fishery resources. Rather, it reinforces that any management system must comply with federal law and respect the subsistence needs of rural communities, particularly during periods of scarcity.

 

“Dual management is challenging, but the solution is not to strip away subsistence protections,” Anderson said. “The path forward must be built on consultation, science, and respect for Indigenous knowledge and ways of life.”

Ahtna, Inc. thanks the other intervenors in this case, including the Ahtna Tene Nené, Alaska Federation of Natives, Kuskokwim River Inter‑Tribal Fish Commission and the Association of Village Council Presidents, for their strong commitment to protecting vital subsistence rights.

 

 THE JOURNAL ARCHIVES 

Katie John & Doris Charles File Their Lawsuit

December 13th, 1990 Copper River Country Journal 

"The Katie John Case" Wins

January 20th, 1994 Copper River Country Journal