Alaska Administrative Code
Title 5 - Fish and Game
Part 3 - Game
Chapter 92 - Statewide Provisions
Article 5 - Intensive Management and Predator Control
5 AAC 92.111 - Intensive Management Plans I
Universal Citation: 5 AK Admin Code 92.111
Current through November 28, 2024
(a) Plans established. Intensive management plans for the following areas are established in this section:
(1) Northern
Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area;
(2) Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation
Management Area.
(b) Northern Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area. The Northern Alaska Herd Predation Management Area is Established to facilitate growth in the Northern Alaska Peninsula (NAP) caribou herd on the mainland portions of Units 9(C) and 9(E) to aid in achieving intensive management objectives in an area encompassing approximately 19,461 square miles (50,403 square kilometers. The wolf reduction area includes all Alaska Peninsula drainages south of the south bank of the Naknek River and the southern boundary of Katmai National Park to a line from the southernmost head of Port Moller Bay to the head of American Bay, encompassing approximately 10,734 square miles (27,802 square kilometers). The control program for this area is as follows:
(1) this is a continuing control program that
was first authorized by the board in March 2010 for wolf control; it is
currently designed to increase caribou abundance and harvest by reducing
predation on caribou by wolves and is expected to make a contribution to
achieving the intensive management (IM) objectives in Units 9(C) and
9(E);
(2) caribou, brown bear and
wolf objectives are as follows:
(A) the
intensive management objective for the NAP as established in
5
AAC 92.108 is 6,000 - 15,000 caribou; these objectives
were based on historic information regarding population numbers, habitat
limitations, human use, and sustainable harvests;
(B) the caribou harvest objective for the NAP
as established in
5
AAC 92.108 is 600 - 1,500 caribou;
(C) the wolf population objective for Unit 9
is to maintain a wolf population that can sustain a three-year annual harvest
of 50 wolves;
(D) the brown bear
population objective for Unit 9 is to maintain a high- density bear population
with a sex and age structure that can sustain a harvest composed of 60 percent
males, with 50 males eight years of age or older during combined fall and
spring seasons;
(3) board
findings concerning populaiions and human use are as follows:
(A) the board has designated the NAP as
important for providing high levels of human consumptive use;
(B) the board established objectives for
population size and annual sustained harvest of caribou in Units 9(C) and 9(E)
consistent with multiple use and principles of sound conservation and
management of habitat and all wildlife species in the area;
(C) the population and harvest for the NAP
are below IM objectives throughout the range;
(D) wolves are a major predator of caribou in
the range of the NAP and are an important factor in failing to achieve these
objectives;
(E) a reduction of
predation can reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the
objectives;
(F) nutrition is not
considered to be the primary factor limiting caribou population
growth;
(G) reducing predation is
likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active
management techniques and based on scientific information;
(H) reducing predation is likely to be
effective given land ownership patterns; and
(I) reducing predation is in the best
interests of subsistence users;
(4) authorized methods and means are as
follows;
(A) hunting and trapping of wolves
by the public in treatment areas during the term of the management program may
occur as provided in the hunting and trapping regulations set out elsewhere in
this title, including the use of motorized vehicles as provided in
5
AAC 92.080;
(B) the commissioner may issue public aerial
shooting permits, public land-and-shoot permits, or ground-based shooting
permits, and allow agents of the state or department employees to conduct
aerial, land-and-shoot, or ground-based shooting as a method of wolf removal
under AS
16.05.783, including the use of any type of
aircraft;
(C) the commissioner may
authorize the use of state employees or agents or state owned, privately owned,
or chartered equipment, including helicopters, as a method of wolf removal
under AS
16.05.783;
(5) time frame is as follows:
(A) through June 30, 2031, the commissioner
may authorize the removal of wolves in the NAP Predation Management
Area;
(B) annually, the department
shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the board a report of program
activities conducted during the preceding 12 months, including implementation
activities, the status of caribou and wolf populations, and recommendations for
changes, if necessary, to achieve the objectives of the plan;
(6) the commissioner will review,
modify, or suspend program activities as follows;
(A) when the IM population and harvest
objectives for the NAP are sustained or the population can grow at a sustained
rate of five percent annually;
(B)
if after three years, the harvest of wolves is not sufficient to make progress
towards the intensive management population objectives for wolves;
(C) if after three years, there is no
detectable increase in the total number of caribou in the control
area;
(D) if after three years,
bull-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or remain below 20 bulls per
100 cows;
(E) if after three years,
fall calf-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or can be sustained at 25
or more calves per 100 cows;
(F) if
after three years, any measure consistent with significant levels of
nutritional stress in the caribou population are identified;
(G) when the caribou population and harvest
objectives within the NAP Predation Management Area have been met; or
(H) upon expiration of the period during
which the commissioner is authorized to reduce wolf numbers in the wolf
reduction areas.
(c) Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area.The Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area is established to increase the Mulchatna Caribou Herd (MCH) within Units 9(B), 17(A), 17(B), 17(C), 18, 19(A), and 19(B) to aid in achieving intensive management (IM) objectives; The Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area encompasses approximately 39,683 square miles, and; multiple predator control areas may be utilized within the management area the control program for this area is as follows:
(1) this is a
continuing control program that was first established by the Board of Game
(board) in 2011 for wolf control and has been expanded to include black and
brown bear control; it is designed to increase the caribou herd's population
size and human harvest by reducing wolf predation on caribou and is expected to
make a contribution to achieving the IM objectives for the Mulchatna Caribou
Herd.
(2) caribou and wolf
objectives are as follows:
(A) the IM
objective for the MCH as established in
5
AAC 92.108 is 30,000 - 80,000 caribou; these
objectives were based on historic information regarding population numbers,
habitat limitations, human use, and sustainable harvests;
(B) the caribou harvest objective for the MCH
as established in
5
AAC 92.108 is 2,400 - 8,000;
(C) the wolf population objective for the MCH
Predation Management Area is to aruiually reduce the number of wolves in
predator control areas to a level that results in increased calf survival and
recruitment;
(D) the bear population
objective for the MCH Predation Management Area is to annually reduce the
number of bears in the predator control areas to a level that results in
increased calf survival and recruitment;
(3) findings concerning populations and human
use are as follows:
(A) the population and
harvest objectives for the MCH are below the IM objectives throughout the
herd's range;
(B) wolves are a
major predator of caribou in the range of the MCH and are an important factor
in failing to achieve these objectives;
(C) a reduction of wolf predation can
reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the objectives;
(D) reducing wolf predation is likely to be
effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active management
techniques and based on scientific information;
(E) reducing wolf predation is likely to be
effective given land ownership patterns;
(F) reducing wolf predation is in the best
interests of subsistence users;
(G)
bears are a major predator of caribou in the range of the MCH and are an
important factor in failing to achieve these objectives:
(H) a reduction of bear predation in certain
areas like calving areas can reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the
objectives;
(I) reducing bear
predation is likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent
active management techniques and based on scientific information;
(J) reducing bear predation is likely to be
effective given land ownership patterns; and
(K) reducing bear predation is in the best
interests of subsistence users;
(4) authorized methods and means are as
follows:
(A) hunting and trapping of wolves
and bears by the public in the MCH Predation Management Area during the term of
the program will occur as provided in the hunting and trapping regulations set
out elsewhere in this title, including the use of motorized vehicles as
provided in
5
AAC 92.080;
(B) notwithstanding any other provisions in
this title, the commissioner may issue public aerial shooting permits or public
land and Shoot permits as a method for wolf removal under
AS
16.05.783;
(C) notwithstanding any other provisions in
this title, the commissioner may allow department employees to conduct aerial,
land-and-shoot, or ground-based lethal A removal of wolves, black bears, and
brown bears using state-owned, privately-owned, or chartered equipment,
including helicopters, under
AS
16.05.783;
(5) time frame is as follows:
(A) through July 1, 2028, the commissioner
may authorize the removal of bears and wolves in the MCH Predation Management
Area;
(B) annually, the department
shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the board a report of program
activities conducted during the preceding 12 months, including implementation
activities, the status of caribou and wolf populations, and recommendations for
changes, if necessary, to achieve the objectives of the plan;
(6) the commissioner will review,
modify, or suspend program activities as follows:
(A) when the mid-point of the IM population
or harvest objectives for the MCH is achieved;
(B) if, after three years, the harvest of
wolves is not sufficient to make progress towards the IM population objectives
for wolves;
(C) if, after three
years, there is no detectable increase in the total number of caribou in the
control area;
(D) if, after three
years, fall calf-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase;
(E) if, after three years, any measure
consistent with significant levels of nutritional stress in the caribou
population are identified;
(F) when
the caribou population and harvest objectives within the MCH Predation
Management Area have been met; or
(G) if, after three years, the harvest of
bears is not sufficient to make progress towards IM population objectives for
bears.
Authority:AS 16.05.255
AS 16.05.270
AS 16.05.783
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