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SUBSISTENCE MANAGEMENT OF BROWN BEAR IN THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA REGION

Executive Summary Brown bear populations in the Southeastern and Yakutat Areas (units 1-5) are healthy.

The fundamental difference between State and Federal management is that the meat of brown bears harvested under Federal regulations must be salvaged.

Brown bear populations are managed conservatively by the State which allows for the continued opportunity for Federally qualified users to take a bear for food under Federal regulations.

There is no estimate of Federal subsistence harvest in the Southeastern Alaska Area because brown bears are taken and reported by State Registration Permits.

There is likely very little or no subsistence harvest of brown bears in the Southeast Alaska Area and a low level of subsistence harvest in the Yakutat Area.

Introduction Alaska is home to approximately 70% of brown bears in North America while portions of Southeast Alaska have some of the highest densities of brown bears in the world (ADF&G 2016). Brown bears are valued for both consumptive uses including sport and subsistence hunting and non-consumptive uses like wildlife viewing. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have an interest in managing brown bear harvest in Units 1, 3, 4 and 5 in Southeast Alaska. Brown bears are not found in Unit 2.

Population density varies considerably across the Southeast Region both between and within Game Management Units. Unit 1, which spans the mainland from Dixon Entrance in the south to Skagway in the north and west to Cape Fairweather, has a modest brown bear density of

Daisy, resident brown bear at the Falls Lake sockeye monitoring project site, Baranof Island, 2015.

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about 44-60/1,000km2 (Sell 2013). The Yakutat area (Unit 5) has a slightly higher density of 99/1000km2 (Crupi et al. 2017). Unit 4, which includes Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof and associated islands has the highest population density in the Southeast Region 227-362/1000km2 (Mooney 2013). Brown bear density in Unit 4 varies among the main Islands of Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof. Population studies by ADF&G in the late 1990s suggested the highest concentration of brown bears was found on Admiralty Island followed by Chichagof Island then Baranof Island (Mooney 2013). Genetic studies also revealed that Unit 4 brown bears are isolated from mainland brown bears and there is little gene flow between the two areas (ADF&G, 1998). Unit 3 has a small brown bear population thought to be limited to islands adjacent to the mainland (Unit 1).

Management State and Federal Harvest Regulations All ADF&G brown bear hunts in Southeast Alaska are registration hunts as outlined in the Alaska Hunting Regulations. Federal Subsistence brown bear regulations, including seasons, hunt areas and bag limits are almost always aligned with State regulations and are available by State registration permit only. Unit 5 is the exception where the Federal subsistence hunts are administered through Federal registration permit (FB0501). There is also a spring State registration Brown Bear hunt, for Alaska residents only, in Unit 3 while no Federal Subsistence regulation exists in Unit 3. Most State Registration hunts stipulate that no person may harvest more than one brown bear every 4 regulatory years. The exception is Berners Bay where the limit is one bear every regulatory year. There is a draw hunt in Unit 4 for nonresident hunters guided by a relative within second degree of kindred. Brown Bears may not be baited anywhere in Southeast Alaska.

Federal Subsistence regulations also incorporate customary and traditional use determinations for brown bear in each unit (Table 1) (Figure 1) while State regulations apply to all hunters. There are also different salvage requirements under each management system. State regulation requires the salvage of the skull, hide and claws and evidence of sex must remain naturally attached to the hide. In addition to the State salvage requirements, Federal Subsistence regulations require the salvage of all edible meat.

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Figure 1. Customary and traditional use determinations for Federal Subsistence brown bear in the Southeast Alaska area.

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Table 1. Customary and traditional use determinations for Federal Subsistence brown bear in the Southeast Alaska region

Customary and Traditional Use Determination

Unit 1A Residents of Unit 1A, excluding residents of Hyder Unit 1B Residents of Unit 1A, Petersburg and Wrangell excluding residents of Hyder Unit 1C Residents of Unit 1C, Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Klukwan, Skagway, and Wrangell,

excluding residents of Gustavus Unit 1D Residents of Unit 1 Unit 4 Residents of Unit 4 and Kake Unit 5 Residents of Yakutat

In addition to the general season Federal Subsistence brown bear hunts there is a Cultural and Educational hunt (FB0401) in Unit 4. Five Federal registration permits will be issued by the Sitka or Hoonah District Ranger for the taking of brown bear for educational purposes associated with teaching customary and traditional subsistence harvest and use practices. Any bear taken under an educational permit does not count in an individual’s one bear every four regulatory years limit. No FB0401 registration permits have been issued.

Management Strategies Each Unit in Southeast Alaska where brown bears are found has a management strategy established by ADF&G based on best available information. The amount of information available between units varies as do the number of management objectives. Common management objectives to all units are maintaining a male to female harvest ratio of 3:2 and maintaining an average age of harvested males of no less than 6.5 years. Managing for the harvest of more males than females ensures that enough females remain to sustain the population. Managing for the harvest of older males increases the number of males that reach breeding age so they may pass their genetic information to the population. Management objectives for each unit are listed in table two (Harper and McCarthy 2013)

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Table 2. Management objectives for Brown Bears in the Southeast Alaska Region

Management Objectives Unit 1 • Maintain an average age of harvested males of no less than 6.5 years, and a

male to female harvest ratio of at least 3:2. • Maintain a spring harvest of at least 60% males. • Reduce the number of bears killed because of garbage and human food conditioning.

Unit 3 • Manage Unit 3 brown bear population as a segment of the Unit 1B mainland population. • Limit the annual harvest in Unit 3 to no more than 3 bears annually. • Limit the number of females in the harvest. • Minimize the number of bears killed because of garbage and human food conditioning.

Unit 4 • Maintain an average age of harvested males of at least 6.5 years. • Maintain a male-to-female harvest ratio of at least 3:2. • Minimize the number of bears killed in defense of life or property (DLP). • Maintain the annual human-caused mortality of all brown bears at no more than 4% of each island’s estimated population (Admiralty, Baranof, Northeast Chichagof, and the rest of Chichagof), averaged over a 3-year period. • Maintain the annual human-caused mortality of females at no more than 1.5% of each island’s estimated population, averaged over a 3-year period.

Unit 5 • Maintain a male-to-female harvest ratio of at least 3:2 and an average age of harvested males of at least 6.5 years.

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The guiding document for the Unit 4 management strategy (Streveler, et. al. 2000) was the product of a Brown Bear Management Advisory Team made up of State and Federal agency staff and Alaska citizens. One member, Floyd Kookesh, was referred by the Southeast Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council. The Unit 4 Brown Bear Management Strategy made many recommendations to agencies and is the basis for Unit 4 brown bear management. The Alaska State Board of Game reviewed the Brown Bear Management Strategy in 2013 and determined it was still relevant and reiterated their support for it (Mooney, 2015).

Brown bear management objectives are monitored by ADF&G through mandatory harvest reporting and sealing requirements. Successful permittees are required to submit a hunt report within 10 days of the harvest and present the salvaged parts for sealing within 30 days of the harvest. Timely harvest reports allow managers to take in-season action if necessary while sealing information is compiled by regulatory year for long term management purposes.

The ADF&G and/or the USFS have taken in-season action to conserve brown bear populations. In 2011 both the State and the Federal Subsistence Board closed the fall brown bear hunt in Unit 4 because the harvest objectives were exceeded and there was concern over the proportion of females in the harvest. In 2012 there was a partial closure of the fall State registration hunt on Baranof Island because the harvest objectives were met. The Federal season was not closed because it was determined that harvest by Federally qualified subsistence users is not significant enough to impact brown bear populations. No in-season actions have been taken for brown bears in Units 1-5 since 2012.

Harvest Patterns There is no mechanism to document subsistence harvest of brown bears in Southeast Alaska. Subsistence hunters are required to obtain a State registration permit and report harvest to the State, but because of differences in State and Federal regulations, the State reporting system does not distinguish between general and subsistence harvest. Consequently, the number of bears harvested under the Federal Subsistence Program is unknown. However, it is believed that few brown bears are harvested for food due to poor quality meat and availability of other resources (Thornton, 1992). Harvest from the Federal registration hunt (FB050) in Unit 5 is outlined in Table 3. If these figures are representative of all Southeast Alaska then Federal brown bear harvest is indeed a small proportion of total brown bear harvest.

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Table 3. Permit and harvest numbers for Unit 5 Federal registration hunt (FB0501), 1995-2015

Year Permits Issued

Permits Used Harvest

1995 1 0 0 1996 4 0 0 1997 6 1 0 1998 0 0 0 1999 1 0 0 2000 0 0 0 2001 3 2 2 2002 0 0 0 2003 0 0 0 2004 6 2 0 2005 5 2 1 2006 6 1 0 2007 3 3 0 2008 7 3 1 2009 6 2 1 2010 5 2 1 2011 5 1 0 2012 7 2 2 2013 3 2 0 2014 4 1 0 2015 3 0 0 Total 75 24 8

Brown bears are harvested by local residents, non-local residents and nonresidents. From 2002 to 2013 the majority of brown bears (72%) were harvested in Unit 4 (Table 4). Of brown bears harvested in Unit 4 from 2009 to 2013, 71% were harvested by nonresidents, 16% by non-local residents and 13% by local residents. This low percentage of brown bears harvested by local residents is further evidence that few bears are taken under Federal regulations.

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Table 4. Brown bear harvests by State registration permit in Southeast Alaska 2002-2013. There was no open season in Unit 3 prior to 2005.

Regulatory Year Unit 1A Unit 1B Unit 1C Unit 1D Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Total 2002 4 6 2 11 - 145 17 185 2003 13 6 6 12 - 175 23 235 2004 6 4 6 7 - 142 33 198 2005 7 3 5 16 1 118 33 183 2006 8 7 6 14 1 109 28 173 2007 6 5 5 9 2 154 26 207 2008 11 4 7 17 0 167 38 244 2009 12 5 4 16 0 160 27 224 2010 5 4 5 17 0 148 14 193 2011 10 3 7 13 0 130 25 188 2012 9 3 6 8 0 118 19 163 2013 5 6 5 9 0 111 14 150

Total 96 56 64 149 4 1677 297 2343 Average 8 5 5 12 0 140 25 195

Percent of total 4% 2% 3% 6% 0% 72% 13% 100%

Land Use Management and Brown Bears The USFS manages most Federal Land in Southeast Alaska and recognizes that activities permitted on Federal land could affect brown bear populations. The USFS works cooperatively with the ADF&G to take measures to best protect brown bear populations and habitat. Guiding management documents for the USFS are Shoreline Outfitter/Guide Management Plans and the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). They are developed through a public process in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The Shoreline Outfitter/Guide plans allocate guided brown bear hunting and wildlife viewing days in distinct guide use areas. ADF&G brown bear management plans and strategies are used to guide the development of Shoreline Plans as they pertain to brown bears. A new Shoreline/Outfitter Guide Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to be complete in early 2017. The Forest Plan guides all natural resource management activities and establishes management standards and guidelines for the Tongass National Forest. Wildlife standards and guidelines are mitigation measures applied to permitted activities depending on which land use designation (LUD) the area of activity is conducted in. There is a section devoted to bear habitat management that contains mitigation measures to address effects of land use activities on brown bears and their habitat.

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Research Brown bear research is usually conducted by ADF&G for management purposes. Funding for some research is provided through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. This is a grant program funded from firearms and ammunition excise taxes (Pittman-Robertson Act). Other brown bear studies in Southeast Alaska have been funded through various universities.

Conclusion Brown bear populations in the Southeast Alaska Region are healthy with successful management strategies possible through cooperation between the USFS and the ADF&G with input from various stakeholders. Harvest regulations are established by the State Board of Game and the Federal Subsistence Board with the goal to provide the users with a common set of rules for the benefit of rural and non-rural users. Habitat management is guided by the Tongass Forest Plan and harvest management is guided by the USFS Shoreline/Outfitter Guide Management Plans and ADF&G brown bear management strategies. Brown bear population management is guided by a management plan developed by an advisory team comprised of agency personnel and local stakeholders. Continued cooperation between agencies with input from stakeholders is essential to successful brown bear management in Southeast Alaska.

References ADF&G. 2016. Brown Bear Management and Research. Internet: <http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildliferesearch.brownbear> Accessed November, 2016.

ADF&G. 1998. Brown Bears of Unit 4 – Past, Present and Future: A Status Report and Issues Paper. July 1998. ADF&G. Juneau, Alaska. 67 pp.

Crupi, A. P., J. N. Waite, R. W. Flynn, and L. R. Beier. 2017. Brown bear population estimation in Yakutat, Southeast Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Final Wildlife Research Report ADF&G/DWC/WRR-2017-1, Juneau.

Flynn. R.W., S. B. Lewis, L. R. Beier, G.W. Pendleton. 2007. Brown Bear use of Riparian Habitat and Beach zones on Northeast Chichagof Island: Management Implications for Streamside Management. Wildlife Research Final Report. ADF&G Southeast Regional Office P.O. box 110020, Douglas, Alaska 99811

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Harper, P. and L. A. McCarthy, editors. 2013. Brown Bear management report of survey-inventory activities, 1 July 2010-30 June 2012. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Management Report ADF&G/DWC/SMR-2013-4, Juneau. Mooney, P.W. 2015. Unit 4 brown bear management report. Chapter 3, pages 3-1 through 3-22 [In] P. Harper and L. A. McCarthy, editors. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2012–30 June 2014. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Management Report ADF&G/DWC/SMR-2015-1, Juneau.

Mooney, P.W. 2013. Unit 4 brown bear management report. Pages 28–48 [In] P. Harper and L. A. McCarthy, editors. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2010–30 June 2012. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Management Report ADF&G/DWC/SMR-2013-4, Juneau.

Scott, R. 2013. Unit 5 brown bear management report. Pages 49–56 [In] P. Harper and L. A. McCarthy, editors. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2010–30 June 2012. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Management Report ADF&G/DWC/SMR-2013-4, Juneau.

Sell, S. 2013. Unit 1 brown bear management report. Pages 1–20 [In] P. Harper, and L. A. McCarthy, editors. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2010–30 June 2012. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Management Report ADF&G/DWC/SMR-2013-4, Juneau.

Streveler, G. et. al. 2000. Southeast Alaska Unit 4 Brown Bear Management Strategy. Unit 4 Brown Bear management Team. Recommendations of a citizens and agency brown bear management advisory team. Alaska Board of Game. ADF&G Division of Wildlife Conservation. P.O. Box 240020, Douglas AK, 99824.

Thornton T.F. 1992. Subsistence Use of Brown Bear in Southeast Alaska. Technical Paper No. 214. ADF&G Division of Subsistence. Technical Paper Series.

Titus, K., R. W. Flynn, G. W. Pendleton, L. R. Beier. 1999. Population and habitat Ecology of Brown Bears on Admiralty and Chichagof Islands. ADF&G Division of Wildlife Conservation. Study no. 4.26.