Congressman Don Young, a member of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, spoke out against H.R. 4716. The resolution relates to the end of using body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System, also known as the Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act of 2021. It aims to protect a species that is listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or designated by the Secretary of the Interior as a sensitive species.
Young says that subsistence trapping is a vital component of Alaska Native culture, way of life, and their survival, stating that Alaska Native trappers rely on foothold traps and snares to provide for their families. The resolution also states that if a person who possesses or uses a body-gripping trap in the System, a person will be subject to a civil fine and, in subsequent offenses, additional civil fines and imprisonment.
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