An Overview of Brown Bear Hunting Activity of Pacific Salmon in Katmai National Park & Preserve, AK USA

Abstract

Both brown bears (Ursus arcotos) and Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) play an important role in riparian forests, and salmon make up a large portion of brown bears diets. Katmai National Park, AK, USA, is a particular region of interest due to the waterfalls that create a barrier and ultimately result in high salmon density. This observational study monitored the hunting activity of brown bears in Katmai National Park and recorded the number of attempts and successes at salmon capture by bears over several weeks between October and November 2020. This data was then consolidated to analyze the total hunting activity and successful captures in the morning, afternoon, and evening, as well as at peak and non-peak hunting hours. It was found that the number of hunting actions did not vary by daytime period, or between peak and non-peak hours, nor did the number of salmon successfully caught between daytimes periods. However, the number of successful captures was statistically different at peak vs. non-peak times.