Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
October 2011

The Art of Grayling

I'd uttered my good-byes earlier that evening, not aloud, but inwardly, and without sadness. Of course, the grayling wouldn't have heard me anyway, nor would they have cared. Hardly a fly rod's length from the lakeshore, the little fish with the sail-like dorsal fins busied themselves sipping blackflies and mosquitoes off the surface. They fed even as reflections of pink tundra hills faded into darkness and the water rings they left behind sparkled with starlight.

Now an astonishing galaxy ...   The Art of Grayling ArticleContinued

Schoolyard Habitats Inspire Outdoor Learning

The photos in Sharon Danks’ book about schoolyard habitat projects are so awe-inspiring they make me wish I were back in elementary school. Danks’ book, "Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation," chronicles a growing international movement to remake schoolyards and playgrounds to better connect our children with nature. The “before” photos document drab institutional-looking schools with expanses of gray concrete, basic playground equipment ...   Outdoor learning Article Continued

Operational Planning:
Successful Research for Sound Fishery Management

Every year hundreds of technicians, biologists, and others are in the field collecting the data that fishery managers need to make informed decisions to protect and improve the state's recreational fisheries resources.

If you've gone fishing any time in the recent past you've undoubtedly reaped the benefits from the data that these researchers have collected. Sometimes the research leads to restricting or even closing a fishery to protect the fish population for future generations --- ...   Planning Research ArticleContinued

Amazing Rockfish
New Release Technique Greatly Increases Survival

Rockfish are an amazingly diverse group of fish: scientists currently know of 102 species of rockfish with more than 30 species found in the Gulf of Alaska. Rockfish occupy nearly every type of marine habitat including shallow intertidal areas, deep-sea trenches, and broad mud flats – not just in rocky habitat as their name implies. Ranging in color from dull gray to vibrant orange and red, rockfish are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the taste buds.

They are targeted by commercial ...   Rockfish ArticleContinued

Rockfish Deepwater Release

Rockfish are most likely to survive when released quickly at depth by anglers using the following steps.

Step 1

• Make sure your release device is ready — rockfish are most likely to survive when time at the surface is minimized. With practice, rockfish can be released within two minutes of reaching the surface.

• Reel the fish up as quickly as possible. After unhooking it, hook the release device through soft tissue on the lower jaw. Make sure the hook does not have ...   Rockfish Release ArticleContinued

The Hunt

I'd arrived late in the day, after a long drive followed by a hike into the hills. By the time my tent was pitched and camp organized, little time remained for hunting, maybe half an hour at most. Already dusk rose from the ground shadows, muting the light around me and gathering overhead like campfire smoke. Still, it was worth a look; moose move on windless September evenings like this one, the kind that promise a full moon and hard frost. I thought I might spot a bull, if I were very lucky, in ...   The Hunt ArticleContinued