What is customary trade?
A. State law recognizes “customary trade†as a subsistence use and defines customary trade as “the limited noncommercial exchange, for minimal amounts of cash, as restricted by the appropriate board, of fish or game resources†(AS 16.05.940(8)). As with any use specified in the definition of subsistence uses, customary trade is required to be customary and traditional (AS 16.05.940(7)), and noncommercial (AS 16.05.940(33)). Customary trade is not the same as “barter,†which is separately defined as “the exchange or trade of fish or game, or their parts, taken for subsistence uses (A) for other fish or game or their parts; or (B) for other food or for nonedible items other than money if the exchange is of a limited and noncommercial nature†(AS 16.05.940(2)). Currently, the subsistence fishing regulations state, “unless otherwise specified in this chapter, it is unlawful to buy or sell subsistence-taken fish, their parts, or their eggs, except that it is lawful to buy or s
