This bill updates the Marine Mammal Protection Act to support Alaska Natives by allowing them to use marine mammals for traditional crafts and subsistence.
Alaska’s Right To Ivory Sales and Tradition Act or the ARTIST Act This bill prohibits states from imposing bans on marine mammal products produced by Alaska Natives. Specifically, states may not prohibit the importation, sale, transfer, trade, barter, or possession of marine mammal ivory, marine mammal bone, or baleen legally produced by an Alaska Native as an authentic Alaska Native article of handicrafts and clothing.
1. This bill allows Alaska Natives to take marine mammals for subsistence and to create handicrafts. 2. It defines what qualifies as authentic Alaska Native handicrafts and marine mammal ivory. 3. The bill sets rules for selling these items across state lines. 4. It includes provisions for selling edible parts of marine mammals within native communities. 5. The Secretary of the Interior can regulate the taking of marine mammals if populations are depleted.
This bill primarily affects Alaska Native artisans and their communities who rely on marine mammal resources for their cultural practices and livelihoods.