Management of Large Predators in Alaska

Populations of wolves (Canis lupus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), and black bears (Ursus americanus) in Alaska are abundant and highly productive. Their long-term future is secure due to abundant habitat and good wildlife management practices. In many areas of Alaska hunting and trapping regulates wolf numbers and keep them "in balance" with moose populations. However, high predation rates by wolves can severely depress prey populations and then hold them at a very low density many years. This is often referred to as a predator pit. Several moose populations in interior Alaska are in predator pits. In some of these areas, high densities of black and brown bears complicate the situation. Bears generally prey on moose calves for only a few weeks after they are born, but in some areas they kill up to 65% of the calves produced. Moose populations faced with high levels of predation by both wolves and bears will not recover without special management actions to reduce the predation rate. Efforts to regulate predator populations outside of normal hunting and trapping seasons are highly controversial. Many people are very strongly opposed to reducing wolf or bear populations to increase moose populations and provide for a higher harvest by humans. Other people that depend on the moose for food and/or recreation strongly support predator management. It is a clash of values that is generates great controversy in Alaska. We provide a brief history of the controversy over predator management in Alaska and make recommendations on how to manage large predators in Alaska.