martentrapper
New member
Cormit,
a few questions:
1. How large is an "ecosystem"?
2. How many "ecosystems" are on the Kenai?
3. How do you determine if an "ecosystem" is healthy?
4. How many bears are there in these "ecosystems"?
5. How many bears can be harvested and still have that "healthy ecosystem"?
Finally, are there factual answers to the above questions? I'll answer that one........................NO, the healthy ecosystem BS is just a talking point to blow smoke over any discussion about a species harvest level.
The Kenai has excellent bear habitat. The numerous salmon streams, berries, game, den sites, etc. etc. along with relatively mild winters and long foraging season make for plenty of bears. While logging may temporarily move bears and other species off of an area, brush re-growth will provide new habitat and food for bears and other species. No one really knows how many bears are residing on the Kenai. I doubt, Amigo Will, that any entity has been accurately able to determine there is less than one bear per sq. mi.!!
As a former member and former chair of a RAC and from attending past Fed Subsistence Board meetings, I know that rural residents WANT more game and less preds. There is nothing wrong with this desire and certainly nothing UNHEALTHY about it. It is a logical desire for people who use game species as food and have to compete with other predators for that food.
Bear harvests are mostly determined by 3 factors, hunter participation, bear numbers, and weather. Weather has significant effect on access to hunting areas. By monitoring participation, weather, and harvest, managers can get a good idea on if a current harvest level is sustainable.
Example:
For over 20 years, unit 22 had distinct fall and spring bear seasons. Bag limit was 1 in 4 and there was a 25 buck tag fee. The average harvest for all of unit 22 during those years was 60 bears. In the 90s, the tag fee was dropped, the season became a long, aug. 1 to may 31, and the limit was 1 per year, except in sub unit 22c. The first year of this change the harvest jumped to around 90. Since that time, about another 20 years, the yearly harvest has been from a high of 100 or so, to a low in the 80s. The 90 bear average has been sustainable for over 20 years. It is quite possible the average could go higher if more hunters participated.
Few folks eat Browns. Since you can't sell any part of them, harvest is also effected by each hunters desire to deal with an expensive skin.
All in all, the likelihood of "over harvesting" kenai Brown Bear populations is extremely small. If your really enamored of this "erring on the side of caution" idea, Cormit, maybe the state should just CLOSE all Brown hunting.................just in case!!
