Alaska Board of Game Proposes New Predator Control Program After Court Ruling
Following a ruling from an Anchorage Superior Court judge that invalidated a contentious program aimed at culling bears to benefit caribou hunters, the Alaska Board of Game is moving to propose a revised version. A public notice published on Friday indicates that the board will convene in July in Anchorage to discuss modifications to the state’s predator control program. The suggested changes would permit the killing of both “brown and black bears, in addition to wolves, to aid in the recovery of the Mulchatna caribou herd.”
Once thriving at approximately 200,000 in the 1990s, the Mulchatna caribou herd has seen its population plummet to around 15,000 as of 2024, as reported by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hunting from this herd has been prohibited since 2021 due to concerns that bear predation is hindering population recovery.
Critics attribute the caribou population decline to various factors, including habitat changes, disease, and past overhunting, rather than solely to predation by bears. The Alaska Wildlife Alliance filed a lawsuit in 2023 challenging the constitutionality of the predator control program, arguing insufficient studies on bear population effects, particularly those from Katmai National Park.
Judge Christina Rankin found that the state acted “in bad faith” by continuing bear kills amidst a restraining order. The court is now deliberating potential contempt charges against state officials. In light of the recent ruling, the board seeks to reauthorize culling methods ahead of the spring calving season.
Shannon Mason, spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, emphasized the importance of the program for rural subsistence resources and claimed prior successes in calf survival rates. While Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has imposed a freeze on new regulations, Mason clarified that the new proposal is an extension of ongoing efforts and is not impacted by the freeze.
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Photo credit alaskapublic.org
