Overview 



The Alaskan ecoregion 

 has many immense, most- 

 ly pristine ecosystems including marine waters 

 and islands; the Arctic Coastal Plain and the 

 Brooks Range; taiga forests and interior rivers; 

 the extensive, treeless lowlands and deltas of the 

 Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers; the rugged coast- 

 line with glacier-capped mountains and numer- 

 ous fjords and tidewater glaciers; and coastal 

 rain forests, bogs, and alpine tundra communi- 

 ties on numerous islands. This section high- 

 lights the status and trends of selected mammals 

 and fish that inhabit these pristine ecosystems. 

 Waterfowl, shorebirds, and seabirds are dis- 

 cussed in a separate chapter. 



Caribou (Rangifer taraiulus), muskox 

 (Ovibos iiioschatus). and large mammalian 

 predators such as the gray wolf (Caiiis lupus) 

 and brown bear are vital components in the 

 coastal plain tundra of the Arctic National 

 Wildlife Refuge. All mammal populations on 

 the refuge appear stable and healthy (McCabe^ _ 

 al., this section). Since 1989 the intemation^j^^j^ 

 shared (Canada and the United Stales) 

 Porcupine caribou herd, which uses the narrow 

 coastal plain for calving in June and July, has 

 remained near 160,000 animals. The resident 

 muskox population, reintroduced after being 

 hunted to extinction in the late 1800"s, now 



numbers nearly 720. Almost 100 brown bears 

 {Ursu.s arctos) and 43 wolves live on the north 

 slope of the refuge in relatively stable popula- 

 tions. 



Arctic fisheries, of little significance in 

 terms of commercial harvest and economic 

 value, constitute a significantly large, locally 

 important contribution to rural economies and 

 provide valuable food for Alaskan Natives. 

 Thorsteinson and Wilson document the status of 

 Arctic Cisco {Coregonus autwnnaUs). broad 

 whitefish (C nasus). least cisco (C. sardineUa). 

 and Dolly Varden char (Salvelimis malma) in 

 the nearshore Beaufort Sea north of Prudhoe 

 Bay. 



Pacific salmon have always played a major 

 role in the history and economy of Alaska and 

 its commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries. 

 Burger and Wertheimer (this section) analyze 

 historical and recent salmon harvest informa- 

 tion to explore status and trends of Pacific 

 salmon in Alaska. Total salmon harvest in 

 Alaska was estimated at 56.000 salmon in 1878. 

 but rose to over 21 million in 1900. After sub- 

 stantial population declines in the 1920's, 

 I960"s, and 1970"s, harvests in most Alaskan 

 populations rebounded, and populations are 

 healthy. Only populations of pink salmon 

 (Oiicorhynchiis gorbitscha) in Prince William 



