Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
December 2013
Mountain Goat Research on Kodiak Island
Sometimes a population explosion is a good thing.
Since mountain goats were introduced to Kodiak Island 60 years ago, the population has grown from 18 animals to about 2,500. That’s good for goat hunters, but biologists and land managers want to know what it’s doing to the island. They’ve launched a research project to better understand the mountain goats' behavior and affect on their habitat.
Newcomers to the Island
Mountain goats are not native to Kodiak, ... Kodiak Goats Article Continued
Impressions in the Snow
Winter Tracking in Alaska
These signs and symbols left in mud, sand, leaves, and snow represent proto-alphabets. Often smeared, fragmented, and confused by weather, time, and other animals, these cryptograms were life-and-death exercises in abstract thinking. This skill, the reading of tracks in order to procure food, or identify the presence of a dangerous animal, may in fact be “the oldest profession”.
—John Vaillant, The Tiger
Reading the White Book
In his 2010 ... Winter Tracking Article Continued
Sea Otter Numbers – and Harvest – On the Rise
Southeast Alaska and the state as a whole is seeing an upswing in sea otter hunting. According to numbers compiled by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2013 will yield the biggest reported harvest on record for the marine mammals, which can only be hunted by Native Alaskans from coastal communities.
US Fish and Wildlife Service records show that for 2012, Alaska Native hunters in coastal communities across the state reported a harvest of 1,281 sea otters. 952 of those were from Southeast, ... Sea Otter Hunting Article Continued
Trapping Videos Offer Tips and Insights
Fish and Game offers a variety of videos for trappers and about trapping. This article highlights videos for trappers, the companion article highlights videos about trapping for trail users, mushers, skijours and dog owners – “Sharing the Trails.”
Trapping videos are available on the ADF&G trapping website.
The Alaska Guide to Fur Handling video has been one of the most popular Fish and Game streaming videos over the past couple months, for ... Trapping Videos Article Continued