SRES - 2/20/95 SB 81 CLASSIFYING WOLF AS PREDATOR  CHAIRMAN LEMAN called the Senate Resources Committee meeting to order at 3:38 p.m. and announced SB 81 to be up for consideration. SENATOR SHARP, prime sponsor, said there are several reasons to reinstate a bounty on wolves. He pointed out that there were no longer general open seasons on caribou and moose and in the 1960's there used to be 160 day seasons. He thought the reason was that the state inherited large, healthy game populations from the federal government at the time of statehood. Then it was state policy to vigorously manage predators by aerial hunting and a severe poisoning program. The last four governors have ignored recommendations from the ADF&G calling for intensive predator control actions in many areas of the state where the ungulate population declined to critical levels. These recommendations were based on many scientific studies and game surveys. Last year, Senator Sharp noted, this Legislature passed intensive game management mandate legislation. At its December 1, 1994 meeting the Board of Game asked ADF&G to review the Unit 13 moose situation, a big concern with the public. ADF&G said that moose populations were down 25% - 30% and continuing down. Moose calf and 15 month yearlings population was at an all time low level which would cause an additional deterioration of moose numbers. There was a higher than average wolf population with strong indications of a much lower level of wolf harvest by trappers or hunters, and continued high levels of grizzly bear population in Unit 13. ADF&G still chooses not to recommend intensive management, so Senator Sharp stated, there would be continued reduction of seasons and management of the people and not the resource. SENATOR SHARP said statistics from ADF&G indicated 87.5% of all moose are harvested by predators - bears and wolves. 10% die from natural causes and 2.5% are harvested by people. It doesn't make sense to manage the 2.5%. SENATOR SHARP said his constituents want the state budget cut when the state workers aren't doing their job. He would like ADF&G to refocus on managing resources, not people. He said this could be accomplished within the ADF&G budget. SENATOR SHARP said careful review of this bill would reveal that it is also Alaska hire legislation. Number 216 SENATOR HALFORD asked if he had predation statistics for whether bears or wolves are the major harvester of the prey. SENATOR SHARP said that bears in Unit 13 are more responsible for harvesting moose calves, in Unit 20 he didn't recall, in Unit 20 A wolves are the primary problem. SENATOR HALFORD asked which would do the most good, to reclassify the wolf or to create a bounty. SENATOR SHARP answered that reclassifying the wolf as a predator and liberalizing most methods and means, except poison, was best. Number 283 SENATOR HALFORD moved to adopt the CS to SB 81. There were no objections and it was so ordered. SENATOR LINCOLN said she supported some kind of wolf control, but she had a number of concerns with SB 81 which, she thought, might be a reaction to recent press. She had a problem with the wolf being taken by any method other than poison. Another issue was specifying adult wolves or pups. For instance someone could go into a den and eliminate the whole den and get $400 for each pup and also have the hide of the adult. She was concerned that it would cost the state $675,000 according to her calculations. Number 334 SENATOR SHARP responded that it would be more economically feasible for people to go out and harvest wolves if there was a bounty, although he wasn't set with the $400 figure. There are variables like the fluctuation in the price of fur and the cost of hunting. SENATOR LINCOLN asked why we couldn't dust off the ADF&G studies we had spent so much on to see how we can have humane predator control. SENATOR SHARP said the studies were implemented by the Board several times, but were not seen through to fruition. Unfortunately, politics enters into the situation and the resource is not being managed effectively. More studies will not produce different results on what can happen. There is adequate money in the Department now to be rechanneled and get the job done. SENATOR LINCOLN again asked if pups in a den could be killed. SENATOR SHARP responded that that was done in the bush years ago and he had no idea how practical it is, but it is legal under this bill. Number 400 SENATOR LINCOLN asked again if the wolves can be taken any way, except by poison. SENATOR SHARP replied that is right. She emphasized that she supported some type of wolf control, but not necessarily the methods in this bill. SENATOR LINCOLN asked if they could use a snare without having it specific to wolves. SENATOR SHARP said experienced trappers have testified to the Department of Public Safety that snares are the most effective, humane way to take wolves. However, you have to expect by-catch, because of the changing snow conditions. WAYNE REGELIN, Acting Director, Division of Wildlife, said they believe this bill would provide few, if any positive, benefits to our wildlife resources, but it could provide several significant negative results. In general, bounties do not target specific areas where wolf populations need to be reduced. It is likely the increased harvest would happen in areas where wolves are already at appropriate levels or even lower than they would like, because there's better access for hunters and trappers in these areas. Statewide bounties have been eliminated as a game management tool in all states, MR. REGELIN said, because they are unpopular with the public and they are very costly. Specifically, SB 81 would eliminate all regulations governing wolves. Allowing all other methods and means, except poison, would complicate enforcement methods for other species, because every violator they catch would be hunting wolves. It would allow ownership of wolves for breeders and exhibitors. He also thought it would result in the listing of wolves under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This is because the ESA specifically says that animals may be listed due to inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms. Listing of the wolves would also have a major impact on logging. The federal government would very likely close federal lands to the taking of wolves resulting in a lot less wolf harvest and ultimately more restrictions on moose and caribou harvest. MR. REGELIN estimated that approximately $600,000 would be spent before an extra wolf would be killed, because you pay the bounty on all the wolves, not just the ones that are in excess of the average. MR. REGELIN stated the Department thinks wolves should be managed in a manner similar to other wildlife. The current classification of wolves as a big game animal and a fur bearer is appropriate. They deserve the same respect in management as other species. SB 81 would be bad wildlife policy and there would be tremendous public opposition. Number 496 MR. REGELIN said he has done a thorough analysis of all the seasons and bag limits since 1965 at 10 year intervals. In the vast majority of the state seasons are longer or the same length and have a higher bag limit. There are some exceptions that are on the road system. SENATOR HALFORD asked him if the high ungulate population was due to the poisoning of wolves that was going on before statehood. MR. REGELIN said that was the major reason for it. MR. REGELIN commented that in Unit 13 there is a lot of effort from Anchorage and Fairbanks. There is a problem there and they are trying to solve it. They will recommend maintaining the moose season with antler restrictions. The Board took significant action in January where they took off the $25 grizzly tag fee to increase the take of bears to manage that area primarily for moose and caribou. However, they do want to maintain a viable population of bears there. SENATOR HALFORD said he thought the bill was not drafted giving ADF&G enough leeway to make an effective predator control program. He would like to see the bill work. He commented on the video that went around the country and asked if the man who shot the wolf pup still had a job. MR. REGELIN said he still has a job and that he is one of the most professional biologists they have. He doesn't know of any other mistakes he has made and supports him as much as he can. SENATOR HALFORD, referring to CSSB 81 (Res), line 7, said if you insert "legal for predators or other unclassified game" instead of "other than poison", you would still have your regulatory authority, but you could set up big game type protections. TAPE 95-10, SIDE B SENATOR HALFORD continued saying that he would delete (c) so wolves could be treated as any other predator. Paying a bounty in all areas of the state has problems also, but if the law said a bounty would be paid for each wolf taken in a predator reduction area as designated by the Board of Game, you would have the control to avoid any problems with eliminating wolves in areas where they are close to being threatened. MR. REGELIN said he had analyzed the problem of targeting a bounty to specific areas and he thought in reality every wolf killed in Alaska would be reported to be killed in whatever areas had bounties. He thought the best thing was to work with the local trappers and trapper incentive programs, by trying to get them to trap more intensively. SENATOR HALFORD said you just have the bounties paid in the areas where the harvest takes place. There wouldn't be a bounty office in Southeast Alaska. MR. REGELIN said throughout the entire road system, people would move the wolves around for $400. Number 546 SENATOR SHARP added he strongly favored ADF&G contracting with groups that have expertise in local areas where there are problems. SENATOR HOFFMAN asked why on line 6 is the wolf listed as "not a fur bearing animal." SENATOR SHARP responded that if it was listed as fur bearing, it would be subject to regulated seasons, etc. It would be the same situation as declaring it a game animal. MR. REGELIN informed the Committee that the wolf season is set to be when the fur is prime, about the first of November through the end of March, and there is no limit. SENATOR LINCOLN said she hoped to work on this bill in a subcommittee. She said she might not disagree with Senator Sharp's comments on not implementing the studies ADF&G has paid millions of dollars for. Addressing Mr. Regelin, she said she hoped he would have had some suggestions on how to make this bill better and asked him to be prepared to tell them what is workable since they do have all those studies. MR. REGELIN said he would be happy to work with her and with a subcommittee on something called trapper incentives. He reiterated that using the word "bounty" would be detrimental to the state nation wide. In a dialogue with SENATOR HALFORD, MR. REGELIN said that Texas still has a bounty on shrub wolves and coyotes by county. Most counties don't do it anymore; nothing is state-wide. He said most counties don't budget for it and because they end up getting coyotes from all over the state. A Predator Control Program run by the Department of Agriculture can use planes which is the only way aerial hunting can legally be used. The Federal Airborne Hunting Act doesn't apply to state authorized programs. He said the recent rabies outbreak in Texas was attempting to be solved with bait treated with a rabies inhibitor. He didn't know how that was working. SENATOR LEMAN announced that SB 81 would go into a subcommittee consisting of Senator Halford as Chairman, Senator Lincoln and Senator Frank.