Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
November 2012

Beachcombing for Sea Lion Satellite Tags
Perseverance Turns Up Valuable Device

As a fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Scott Walker doesn’t often work with sea lions. But his curiosity and fascination with beachcombing led to the recovery in September of a pack of valuable scientific instruments that was glued to the fur of a Steller sea lion 145 miles up the Columbia River at Bonneville Dam in May – a sea lion that traveled close to 1,000 miles to Southeast Alaska before shedding the instruments on the southwest corner of Dall ...   Sea Lion Travels Article Continued

Sea Lion Tag - more pictures

Scott Walker and Steve Jeffries provided additional images.

Grouse and Ptarmigan Wing Collection Program

A wing in the hand can tell a lot about the bird in the bush.

State wildlife biologist Rick Merizon has launched a wing collection program to gain insights into Alaska’s grouse and ptarmigan. So far, hunters have sent him almost 400 wings, and he hopes to collect 2,000 by spring of 2013.

“We’re asking hunters to voluntarily provide one wing and a tail for grouse, and one wing and a head for ptarmigan,” Merizon said. “This helps us determine harvest ...   Wing Collection Article Continued

Featured Video: Observers in the Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands Crab Fisheries

Observers in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Fisheries is a 24-minute video filmed on location. It features three crab observers (Steve Brown, Sara Slaughter, Mike Todd, working aboard The Pro Surveyor and The Time Bandit) in their everyday duties and life at sea collecting fisheries data for ADF&G.

The video was produced by UAA North Pacific Fisheries Observer Training Center in 2008, and coordinated and funded by ADF&G Shellfish Observer Program. It was updated ...   Fisheries Observers Article Continued

Application Process for Alaska’s Big Game
Drawing Hunts Changes This Year

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has changed the application process and period for hunters applying for big game drawing hunts. The department will accept only online applications this year and will no longer accept paper applications. Applications will be accepted online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 17; the end of the application period is earlier than last year.

Hunters will find that applying online is easy. A visit to the hunting section of the ADF&G website will walk the applicant ...   Draw Hunt Changes Article Continued