Old' Living RisoLirces — Alasku 



349 



Brown hears (Ursus iirctos middemtorffi) on 

 the Kodiak Arcliipelago are famous for 

 their large size and seasonal concentrations at 

 salmon streams. Sport hunting of Kodiak bears 

 has been popular since World War II. Their 

 value as captivating subjects to observe or pho- 

 tograph is a more recent development that is 

 increasing rapidly: visitors from around the 

 world come to experience brown bears on 

 Kodiak. adding substantially to Alaska's econo- 

 my. 



An equally important contribution of brown 

 bears is their value as an indicator of ecosystem 

 vitality. Despite high population numbers, 

 Kodiak bears are vulnerable to the environmen- 

 tal effects that have seriously depleted brown 

 bear populations in Europe and parts of North 

 America (Cowan 1972; Servheen 1990). They 

 are long-lived mammals that require large 

 expanses of land to meet biological needs, and 

 their low reproductive rate limits population 

 recovery. Energy development, depletion of 

 salmon resources, and recreational growth are 

 factors that can adversely affect bears and. in 

 doing so. signal a loss of environmental quality 

 affecting many species. 



Management of Kodiak brown bears is 

 directed at maintaining cuiTent density, distri- 

 bution, and habitat-use patterns. This goal is 

 challenged by growing levels of commercial 

 and private use throughout the region. An 

 immediate concern is cabin and lodge develop- 

 ment on 121,500 ha (300.000 acres), formerly 

 part of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, 

 that were deeded to Alaska Natives via the 

 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Much of 

 that Native-conveyed land is coastal or riparian 

 habitat especially important to brown bears dur- 

 ing summer and fall. ConcuiTently. recreational 

 use of the Kodiak refuge is increasing about 

 10% annually (USFWS^ 1987). Sport fishing, 

 bear photography, and deer and elk hunting 

 often put bears and humans in direct contlict 

 (Smith etal. 1989). 



Timber harvest on Afognak Island, uncertain 

 trends of salmon populations due to natural oi 

 human-caused events (e.g.. Exxon Valdez oil 

 spill), and hydroelectric development (Smith 

 and Van Daele 1990) could impose additional 

 long-term effects on localized bear populations 



Population Monitoring 



Sport harvest records, available since 1950 

 (Troyer 1961 ). provide the most comprehensive 

 information on Kodiak brown bears. In addi- 

 tion, biologists use aerial surveys to monitoi 

 population and habitat-use trends of brown 

 bears on southwest Kodiak Island, an area that 

 supports the highest bear densities and approxi- 



mately 15% of Kodiak Island's bear population 

 (Barnes etal. 1988). 



We assessed status of the Kodiak bear popu- 

 lation from estimates of density for representa- 

 tive study areas on northern, southwestern, and 

 eastern Kodiak Island. We radio-collared a sam- 

 ple of bears on each area and estimated bear 

 density using ratios of marked and unmarked 

 bears observed from small aircraft (Miller et al. 

 1987). Brown bear abundance on other geo- 

 graphic units of the Kodiak Archipelago was 

 estimated by comparing those units with the 

 study areas. 



Status and Trends 



Sport Harvest Records 



Excessive and localized harvest of brown 

 bears in the mid-1960"s (Fig. I) prompted biol- 

 ogists to impose restrictions (season length, 

 area closures) that dramatically reduced har- 

 vest. A sharp rise in hunting in the early 1970's 

 produced another increase in harvest. In 1976 

 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game began 

 an area permit system that distributed hunting 

 more equitably throughout the archipelago. 

 Since 1980 the harvest pattern has been rela- 

 tively stable, with an average annual take of 163 

 animals (Fig. I ). 



Sex composition of the sport harvest has 

 remained relatively stable despite fluctuations 

 in yearly harvest. From 1987 to 1993 the female 

 portion of the harvest has ranged from 32% to 

 38%. 



Age and skull measurements of harvested 

 bears provide further evidence of population 

 stability. Mean ages of males and females taken 

 during 1981-93 (7.3 and 7.4 years, respectively) 

 were slightly higher than during 1969-80 (6.3 

 and 6.8 years, respectively), but we attribute this 

 difference to sampling variation (Fig. 2). Skull 



, *j»f;'Vy36f.. 



Kodiak Brown 

 Bears 



by 



Victor G. Barnes, Jr. 



National Biological Service 



Roger B. Smith 



Alaska Department of Game 



and Fish 



Mark S. Udevitz 

 National Biological Service 



Jay R. Bellinger 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 





Adull hinwn bear on Dog Salmon Creek, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, kodiak island, AK. 



