Predator control in Alaska is a tool, not a war

Recently published opinion pieces paint a dire picture of Alaska’s predator control efforts, portraying them as reckless and unjustified assaults on brown bears and wolves. This narrative is not only misleading, but fundamentally misunderstands both the purpose and the science behind Alaska’s intensive management laws and programs.

Let’s be clear: No one in Alaska is at “war” with grizzly bears. Harvesting caribou is extremely important to many Alaskan families. Participating in the hunt and sharing the bounty is a long-standing tradition. However, many rural Alaskans — especially those who rely on caribou for sustenance — are fighting to preserve their traditional subsistence culture and food security. The Alaska Board of Game and Department of Fish and Game’s policies reflect that reality.

Constitutional and statutory mandates: sustained yield and subsistence priority

Article VIII, Section 4, of Alaska’s Constitution requires wildlife, including predators and prey, to be managed for sustained yield, “subject to preferences among beneficial uses.” The Alaska Legislature defined “preferences among beneficial uses” as ensuring caribou and moose are managed to ensure population levels that are sufficient to meet demand.

By law, the Board of Game must consider intensive management — including predator control — when big game prey populations that are identified as important food sources for Alaskans fall below objectives to provide harvest opportunity. Alaska’s intensive management law has been repeatedly upheld by the Alaska Supreme Court.

When this happens, the Department of Fish and Game must assess feasibility, create an adaptive management plan, and implement it as approved by the board. The board can prioritize prey like caribou over predators to maintain hunting opportunities but must ensure bear and wolf populations remain viable, with monitoring and adjustments to prevent long-term harm. That is exactly what the board did when it reinstated the program earlier this month after fixing legal flaws that resulted in the program being overturned by the courts.

Predator control is a short-term, carefully targeted tool for areas where predation limits prey recovery, in this case, the Mulchatna caribou herd. Once nearly 200,000 animals, the herd fell to 12,000 in 2019 but has risen to nearly 15,000 as of July 2024. Without such measures, Alaskans could lose caribou harvest opportunities for years.

Science supports the strategy

Those criticizing predator control often demand scientific certainty that it will work. Alaska’s wildlife management decisions are products of intense research, public opinion, and the law. Overwhelming evidence for the Mulchatna caribou herd, collected by the department since the program began in 2023, supports the conclusion that calf survival increased when bear numbers were reduced in calving areas — a critical window when most predation occurs. In the west Mulchatna, where bear control has occurred, the minimum count of caribou has had a dramatic 17% population increase since the bear control efforts began.

Despite popular misconceptions, predator populations aren’t being decimated. With intensive management, bears and wolves will recolonize within a few years. Bear or wolf populations have not been reduced to unsustainable levels, and hunting seasons remain unaffected. While habitat and disease sometimes affect herd numbers, predation is the main factor limiting the Mulchatna herd’s recovery. Predator control in 2023–2024 improved calf survival.

A rebuttal to fear-based claims

A July 8 opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News claims that nearly 200 brown bears have been “poached” by the Department of Fish and Game. This is a gross mischaracterization. These animals were lethally removed as part of a legal, legislatively mandated intensive management program, following extensive population surveys, biological assessments and public processes. This isn’t poaching. It’s predator control grounded in science and law. ADF&G uses efficient methods to remove the animals quickly and humanely without undue suffering. When possible, the department provides edible meat to local villages, and hides and skulls are either loaned for educational purposes or offered at auction.

The role of values — and the importance of balance

Ultimately, wildlife management decisions are shaped not just by science but by values. Many Alaskans are supportive of state efforts to intensively manage predators and prey. Others, whose values and experiences differ, question predator reduction methods, especially aerial control. Still others question whether humans should be intervening at all in what they refer to as a natural system of predators and prey. The Board of Game’s job is to balance these values, not to let one dominate the other.

As we established earlier, the board and ADF&G have constitutional and statutory responsibilities to manage for high levels of harvest in designated areas, and predator control is one of the tools available to achieve this goal when herds are struggling. This approach is flexible, adaptive, and transparent, and includes public input at every step.

A future with both bears and caribou

Predator reduction for the Mulchatna caribou herd is supported by local users and communities, Fish and Game Advisory Committees, and the Alaska Federation of Natives, and has already demonstrated success, with improved calf survival and herd growth since the intensive management program began in 2023. Stopping this effort puts the herd’s recovery — and our commitment to rural subsistence users — at risk.

We can have both healthy predator populations and abundant prey. But that balance won’t happen by accident — and it won’t happen if we let ideology override evidence. Predator control isn’t about destroying nature. It’s about managing it wisely, for the benefit of all Alaskans, especially those who rely on these renewable resources to feed their families.

We need to rebuild this herd to provide for sustained hunting opportunities as required under state law. We can’t afford to ignore the biological reality — Caribou won’t come back with good intentions alone.

Department reports with scientific data that supports predator control efforts for the Mulchatna herd can be found on the board’s website: Meeting Information: Alaska Board of Game, Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Doug Vincent-Lang is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.