Patterns of brown bear and visitor use of Brooks River and recommendations for management

Warner, Susan

Brooks River, in Katmai National Park and Preserve, is a popular sport fishing river. A dense population of brown bears (Ursus arctos) also uses Brooks River. In an attempt to minimize conflicts caused by this intermingling of anglers and bears, the Park Service is considering changes in management. This study was designed to determine the impacts that people are having on bears and to predict the effectiveness of possible management changes. Observations were made from 3 towers along the river using instantaneous scan sampling. The number of bears present was negatively correleated with the number of people present; however, there were confounding variables including time of year, time of day, and location. No obvious diel pattern of bear use was seen, but a seasonal pattern was evident: bears followed the seasonal availability of salmon. There was also a seasonal shift in the location on the river where bears preferred to fish. The 'cutbank' area of Brooks River is heavily used by bears in July, and it is suggested that that area be closed to anglers during that month. The presence of park Service rangers was effective in averting problems. The river should be closed to fishing in the fall season when rangers are not able to patrol the area.