Legislature(1999 - 2000)
02/08/1999 03:05 PM Senate RES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE RESOURCES COMMITTEE
February 8, 1999
3:05 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Rick Halford, Chairman
Senator Robin Taylor, Vice Chairman
Senator Pete Kelly
Senator Jerry Mackie
Senator Lyda Green
Senator Sean Parnell
Senator Georgianna Lincoln
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2
Relating to management of Alaska's wildlife and fish resources.
-MOVED OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
SCR 2 - No previous action to consider.
WITNESS REGISTER
Ms. Mel Korgseng, Staff
Senator Taylor
State Capitol Bldg.
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SCR 2 for Senator Taylor, sponsor.
Mr. Wayne Regelin, Director
Division of Wildlife Conservation
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
P.O. Box 25526
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SCR 2.
Mr. Brett Huber, Staff
Senator Halford
State Capitol Bldg.
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SCR 2.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 99-8, SIDE A
Number 001
SCR 2-MANAGEMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE
CHAIRMAN HALFORD called the Senate Resources Committee meeting to
order at 3:05 p.m. and announced SCR 2 to be up for discussion.
SENATOR TAYLOR stated that this is the same resolution that's been
before the Committee for the past several years and it involves the
question of whether or not we are going to manage resources for
abundance or for scarcity in Alaska.
MS. MEL KROGSENG, Staff to Senator Taylor, briefly reviewed the
bill. She said it is intended to send a strong message to the
Governor, the Board of Fisheries, the Board of Game, and the
Department of Fish and Game that the Legislature wants the wildlife
and fish resources of this State to be aggressively managed
biologically on a sustained yield basis for abundance.
Over the past few years there has been a decline in several of our
wildlife and fish stocks in several areas of the State. It appears
that the Department has not managed for proper escapement levels.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked Senator Halford why he wrote the fiscal note
for this resolution.
MR. BRETT HUBER, Committee Aide, explained that it is the policy of
the Administration regarding resolutions to ask the committees to
write fiscal notes stating there are no proposed impacts on State
agencies.
MR. WAYNE REGELIN, Director, Division of Wildlife Conservation,
explained that a resolution expresses the will of the Senate and
wouldn't have any fiscal impact on the Department. They know very
clearly how the Legislature would like wildlife to be managed.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked how passing this legislation would change
management protocols or schemes.
MR. REGELIN answered that it would be beneficial to review the
actions of what the Board of Game and ADF&G have been doing in the
areas of intensive management since the first law was passed in
1994 for the purpose of restoring abundance and productivity of
"identified big game populations." That law required the Board of
Game to identify populations for intensive management where
consumptive use was a preferred use and where depleted or reduced
productivity had occurred and where enhancement was feasibly
achievable utilizing recognized and prudent actions. The Board was
not allowed to change or reduce seasons or bag limits or to reduce
the harvest on a population that had been identified for intensive
management unless the Board adopted regulations to implement
intensive management. Provisions in the statute said that
intensive management wouldn't be applied if the Board of Game
determined that actions would be ineffective based on science,
inappropriate based on land ownership, or against subsistence
interests.
The Board really struggled with trying to implement this law before
ADF&G recommended that the Board take a comprehensive approach and
review all big game prey populations to determining whether or not
they should be included on the intensive management list. This has
been completed in Regions 3 and 1 and will be done in Region 2 this
coming March. Once that is done, the Department will establish
harvest objectives for each of the identified populations by
working with the local fish and game advisory committees. He
didn't think that anyone had intentionally ignored the law, but
they have learned if you try to move real fast in the area of
managing predators, it doesn't work because public reaction will
stop them.
Number 214
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked if anything slow worked.
MR. REGELIN answered that a couple programs are working very well.
An example is the Fortymile caribou herd where a new predator
management program of sterilizing the alpha male and female wolves
of each pack and relocating the other wolves to other areas is
being successfully used. There is an increase of about 30 percent
in the caribou population in the first year. He explained that
they ended up with sterilized wolves in five packs who didn't
reproduce, but maintained their territories.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked how they determine which two to sterilize.
MR. REGELIN answered that biologists have a lot of experience at
identifying the alpha males and females. He said that predation on
both the calves and adults during the winter was significantly
reduced. He thought the herd was increasing from 25,000 to
200,000.
Number 250
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked what was happening to the Mat-Su program to
eliminate lice on wolves.
MR. REGELIN explained that it is something they would have
preferred not to try. In 1981 there was a louse infestation on the
Kenai. It was found first in two packs and nothing was done, but
in two years it was in all 21 packs on the Kenai and it still is
today. Their pelts are useless, the wolves suffer, they look bad,
and they smell terrible, and they probably die in larger numbers.
He said the caribou and moose populations on the Kenai have both
increased and the wolf population has not increased. Pup mortality
might be higher because they lose so much hair, they die when it
gets real cold.
MR. REGELIN said lice were found in the Mat-Su Valley on two
wolves. Afterwards, it was found that out of thirteen packs, three
were infected with lice and the rest were lice-free.
Number 270
SENATOR PETE KELLY asked if there was a connection between the Mat-
Su wolves and the Kenai wolves.
MR. REGELIN answered that it is the same species of lice, but he
didn't think there was movement between the areas. All of the
packs who have it are along the road system where they know of dog
kennels that have lice. They assume that's where it came from. He
said a drug is used to treat the wolves who remain lice-free for
six months. Of the 28 wolves in Mat-Su, 27 have been treated and
the last one will get treated when the weather breaks.
He said the lice situation has a big impact on fur-bearer and
ungulate management, because if their hides are of no value, people
don't trap. Last year 300 fewer wolves were killed than in the
previous year.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he thought the Fortymile caribou herd was
recovering because 186 wolves were taken three years ago and over
100 taken two years ago. They didn't start sterilizing until last
year. He asked Mr. Regelin for the costs associated with the lice
program. His position is that he wants the Department to get rid
of every wolf they can find. Back in the old days every method was
used to get rid of wolves, Senator Taylor said, and they had an
abundance of wildlife that has not occurred in this State since we
have a good, healthy ungulate population. He asked why the
Department took so long to implement the 1994 law.
MR. REGELIN responded by giving credit to all the help they got
from the trappers who took a lot of wolves out of the Fortymile
caribou herd area. They continue to work with those trappers and
encourage them to trap in the areas except where the sterilized
wolves are located. Some trappers are not happy with the
sterilization program, because they make money from trapping
wolves. The bottom line, he said, is that the numbers are up and
predation was down on both the calves and the adults over the
winter.
Wolves were moved to the Kenai and two other locations as part of
the Fortymile program. They wanted to see whether or not wolves
from different areas were susceptible to getting the lice because
of a different genetic structure. They have tested the drug and
know that it works for at least six months. The cost of the Mat-Su
program was $50,000. The reason they did the lice program is
because it has tremendous ramifications on ungulate management
throughout units 13, 14, 16, and possibly 20. If the disease
spreads, and based on information from the Kenai it will, it will
spread in relatively short order. If the wolves have no value to
the trapper, they won't trap them. So he thinks it was a valuable
program.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked him to explain the significance to ungulate
management.
Number 400
MR. REGELIN explained that in unit 13 and a few other areas of the
State, trappers have the ability to regulate the wolf populations.
In many other areas there just aren't enough trappers and access.
In units 13, 14, and 16 where there are roads and more people, they
can harvest enough wolves to keep the populations regulated at a
number that doesn't have a major impact on the caribou.
SENATOR KELLY asked how widespread the lice problem was in the Mat-
Su.
MR. REGELIN answered that lice were found in three packs and they
have handled 13 packs. All the packs that had it were across the
Parks Highway.
SENATOR KELLY asked if the Department has the ability to just kill
the wolves that are infested.
MR. REGELIN replied yes, and that they still might have to kill the
last one. They still try to treat them, because it doesn't cost
much more.
SENATOR KELLY asked how long the treatment takes.
MR. REGELIN answered that the lice are all dead within 24 hours of
treatment. The host animal is free of lice for the next six
months.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked what a wolf hide is worth now.
MR REGELIN replied $210.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked what prevents the treated wolves from getting
reinfected again.
MR. REGELIN said their hope is that when the 28th wolf is caught
and treated that there will be no wolves infested with lice. They
know that there have been lice on the dogs in the kennels along the
road, but they think the transmission from dogs to wolves is pretty
rare. There is no guarantee.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked if the lice could be transferred to other
species of animals like moose or caribou.
MR. REGELIN replied that this particular louse has the dog for its
primary host. The only other species it can be transferred to are
coyotes and wolves.
Number 430
SENATOR LINCOLN asked what it means if the wolves get it again.
MR. REGELIN replied that they think it's uncommon and they are
starting to work with the dog owners up there to try to convince
them that it's in their best interest to treat their dogs. If there
is a reinfection next year that's even wider spread, it means
there's nothing they can do about it and, like in the Kenai, there
will be a lot of wolves whose hides would have no value.
SENATOR KELLY said they could then just go out and kill them all.
MR. REGELIN responded that he didn't think the public would allow
them to do that. He added that the reason it's taking them five
years to do this is because the Board of Game is responsible for
doing a lot of this, although the Department helps them as much as
they can. The Board only meets twice a year and on a schedule
where every other year they take things up. The first two years
they got a "false start." What they are doing now has a better
chance of success.
SENATOR TAYLOR suggested shampooing, if the shots don't work. He
said that the Department was given $800,000 to spend on intensive
game management and they didn't spend a single dime on it. Instead
they sent it off to the Division of Habitat.
Number 480
SENATOR LINCOLN asked if we are to go from "passive management" to
mandatory "aggressive management" with a $0 fiscal note.
MR. REGELIN answered that he believed so. They have an operating
budget of $15.5 million and if they are authorized to do intensive
management, they can only do it in two or three places because of
staff. He wouldn't ask the Legislature for additional funds. He
said it's good biology to go out and assess the stocks so you can
harvest them appropriately.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked if the assessment they are doing now is
different than what they have been doing every year.
MR. REGELIN answered that they try to spend the same amount on
assessment, survey, and inventory each year. They do a population
census of the caribou herds every other year. They supplement that
each year with composition data so they can understand productivity
data, production and mortality rates. They do a very good job of
it. You can't do management without knowing what the stocks are,
he concluded.
Number 522
SENATOR TAYLOR asked what they are going to do about bear
predation.
MR. REGELIN replied that it depends on the area. In some areas,
wolves are the problem; in other areas, bears are the problem; and
some areas have no problems. In areas like 20 D and unit 13 where
there are big bear problems, they have liberalized harvest through
seasons and bag limits. They have removed the $25 tag fee and have
gone to one bear every year and long seasons. The harvest last
year was about 300 grizzly bears. They are still not harvesting
enough bears in unit 13 to meet the management objectives, but he
doubted they could go to two bears a year. It's not the main place
that people go to hunt grizzly bears. He didn't think it was "in
the cards" to do bear control.
SENATOR TAYLOR said an aggressive approach would be to offer a
bounty or a reward for bears or start shooting them from planes.
MR. REGELIN responded that they started liberalizing seasons on
grizzly bears about three years ago and he thought it would be
extremely foolish to say after two years that they know all the
answers and would just start killing grizzly bears out of
airplanes. He thought that would be a total fiasco and he wouldn't
be part of it.
Number 554
SENATOR TAYLOR moved to pass SCR 2 from committee with individual
recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD adjourned the meeting at 3:50 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|