Unalaska, AK – The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is looking for public comments on plans to help increase the caribou population on Unimak Island through predation control. The Unimak caribou herd has fallen from 1,261 animals in 2002 to only 400 in 2009. Biologists attribute the drop to low calf recruitment - too few animals are making it to adulthood. The problem is twofold. The ratio of adult females to adult males is about 100 to 1. There are too few males to keep the population going. The other problem, according to that Alaska Department of Fish & Game, is calf predation by wolves.

ADF&G wants to help the population increase so that people can start hunting the herd again for subsistence uses. The agency thinks that given the population's current downward trend, it will not increase again on its own without intervention. However, most of the land on Unimak Island is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service, so the service has issued an environmental assessment of the situation and is looking for public comments until January 31.

Fish & Wildlife spokesperson Bruce Woods said the problem was identified back in 2009 and they want to implement a plan soon. "The intent is to come to a decision far enough before the caribou calving period, which I think is in May on Unimak, so that whatever decision we come to we would have time to put that forward during the calving period."

The environmental assessment lists four possible courses of action. The first is a no action alternative, wherein the service would monitor the population but not make any changes. Alternatives B and C would both rely on aircraft to monitor where predation is occurring and to shoot the responsible wolves. For B and C, biologists would put radio collars on calves within two days of their births. Then they would monitor whether or not the calves are killed and go to sites to inspect the bodies to see how they died. If there is evidence of wolf predation then they will search the area for the wolves and shoot them from the aircraft. This method allows the biologists to target specific wolves. If they have shot a lactating mother, then they will seek out her den and euthanize the orphaned pups. Alternative B uses fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Alternative C uses just fixed-wing aircraft.

Alternative D does not use any aircraft. Hunters would work in teams of two on the calving grounds and look for wolves to shoot. That alternative does not make use of radio collars to target specific areas and potential predators.

All three action alternatives also include relocating 20 adult males from the caribou herd on the Alaska Peninsula to Unimak Island. ADF&G says that adding more males to the population will help it grow, but that adding them without removing some of the wolves would not. The wolves would still predate the calves.

The population of caribou has slightly increased since initial concern was raised in 2009, however Woods says it is not enough to indicate trends of population recovery. Woods says that the Fish & Wildlife Service will not choose a preferred alternative until it has finished receiving public comment. The public comment period closes on January 31. You can email your comments to fw7_izembek_planning@fws.gov .