First FOMR Grant to Polly Hessing

The Board of Directors voted to issue its first grant of $750.00 to Ms. Polly Hessing, a graduate student at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. Polly is conducting a study titled: BROWN BEAR CONSUMPTION OF CHUM SALMON AT MCNEIL RIVER, ALASKA; SOME ASPECTS OF RESOURCE USE AND ALLOCATION. In issuing this grant, we join the Alaska Conservation Foundation in supporting a study designed to help determine how the number of fish in the river affects the bears fishing at the McNeil River Falls.

Polly has several years experience at McNeil River working as a volunteer and a paid employee serving as one of the State guide/managers for the area. Her work is very beneficial and her findings could have a profound effect on the overall management of the McNeil fisheries and bear viewing program. Her research will correlate the sex and age of bears on the river with changes in the salmon population and determine if, during periods of low fish availability, the bears change their feeding habits.

Past studies have been done on bear-fish interactions, but had the objective of determining the immediate effect of bear predation on salmon escapement in order to help set immediate levels of fish needed for spawning purposes. Polly will be concentrating more on delineating future effects on returning salmon and bear dynamics, thus integrating the management of salmon spawning and bear behavior, which effects opportunities for bear viewing and the bears' ability to prepare for winter hibernation.

The current escapement goals of 30,000 to 40,000 chum salmon was established with no significant allowance for bears' needs. The information in this study will help provide the facts that are needed to optimize opportunities for both commercial fishing and bear viewing. When completed, we will publish the results of Polly's study in BEAR WATCH.