The American black bear, Ursus americanus, is the most widely distributed and numerous bear species in North America. Alaska is home to a significant proportion of the continent’s population, inhabiting nearly all of the state’s forested lands. These bears play a complex role in the ecosystem as both predators and foragers, influencing the dynamics of wildlife populations like moose and salmon. Understanding the number and distribution of these adaptable animals is a continuous endeavor for state wildlife managers.
Current Population Estimates
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) estimates that the state’s black bear population exceeds 100,000 individuals. This figure represents a broad minimum, reflecting the challenges of monitoring a wide-ranging mammal across Alaska’s expansive and rugged terrain. This estimate solidifies Alaska’s status as a stronghold for the species, which is generally considered robust and healthy. Population densities vary significantly across the state, with some localized areas supporting a much higher concentration of bears than others.
The statewide estimate is a composite figure, synthesized from intensive local studies and extrapolated to larger management units based on habitat suitability. Localized population estimates can be specific; for instance, coastal areas with rich salmon resources may have densities approaching 1.5 bears per square kilometer. The ADF&G uses these detailed regional studies to inform the statewide estimate, acknowledging that a definitive census is logistically impossible given the sheer size of the state.
Geographic Distribution
Black bears occupy the majority of Alaska’s mainland forest ecosystems, from the temperate rainforests of the Southeast Panhandle to the interior’s vast boreal forests. They are highly adaptable, thriving from sea level up to alpine areas in any habitat that provides adequate cover and reliable food sources like berries, vegetation, and salmon. Concentrations are high in areas like the Tongass National Forest and the forested regions of the Kenai Peninsula.
Black bears are notably absent from several major geographic regions, primarily the vast, treeless tundra. They are not found on the North Slope, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, or the Seward Peninsula. Their distribution is also limited on large islands in the Gulf of Alaska, such as Kodiak, Montague, and Hinchinbrook, where the dominant brown bear species prevents black bear establishment. In Southeast Alaska, black bears inhabit most islands, excluding those with established brown bear populations like Admiralty and Baranof.
Challenges in Accurate Population Counts
Obtaining a precise census of the black bear population is exceedingly difficult because the species is solitary, wide-ranging, and often cryptic, moving stealthily through dense forest cover. State biologists must rely on specialized techniques that provide population indices and density estimates rather than absolute counts.
One method involves using noninvasive DNA sampling, where researchers establish study sites with barbed wire enclosures baited with scent lures to snag hair samples from passing bears. The collected hair allows biologists to conduct mark-recapture studies, which use genetic profiles to identify individual bears and estimate the total population size within the study area. While effective for localized areas, this method is costly and logistically challenging to scale up across the entire state.
For broader estimates, biologists also conduct aerial surveys using line-transect methods, counting bears observed along a specific flight path. These surveys require precise timing, ideally occurring after bears emerge from their dens but before new vegetation growth obscures them from view. The count data must then be adjusted using complex “sightability models” that account for bears missed by surveyors due to cover or terrain.
State Management and Regulation
The ADF&G manages black bears as a game animal, using hunting as the primary tool to manage populations and address human-bear conflict. The reproductive rate of black bears is relatively high, allowing wildlife managers to set more liberal hunting seasons and bag limits in many areas. In some Game Management Units, hunters may be permitted to harvest more than one bear per regulatory year.
Management is often localized and goal-oriented, such as using “intensive management” programs to intentionally reduce black bear populations to benefit other species. For example, reducing bear numbers in the Cook Inlet region helps increase the survival rate of moose calves.
All harvested bears must undergo a “sealing process,” where hunters bring the skull and hide to an ADF&G representative. This process allows biologists to collect biological data, such as a tooth for aging the animal, which monitors the population’s health and age structure.
Another management effort focuses on mitigating human-bear conflicts, particularly in urban and rural interface areas. ADF&G educates the public on secure waste disposal and proper food storage to reduce attractions like garbage. This minimizes the number of bears that become habituated and must be lethally removed. Salvage requirements also exist for harvested bears, mandating that hunters utilize the hide, skull, or meat, depending on the season and location.