Section 5 AAC 92.112 - Intensive Management Plans II(a)Plans established. Intensive management plans for the following areas are established in this section: (1) Southern Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area;(b)Southern Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this title, and based on the following information contained in this subsection, the commissioner or the commissioner's designee may conduct a wolf population reduction or wolf population regulation program on the Alaska Peninsula in Unit 9(D). The control area includes all drainages of the Alaska Peninsula west of a line from the southernmost head of Port Moller Bay to the head of American Bay, encompassing approximately 3,819 square miles. The control program for this area is as follows: (1) this is a continuing control program that was first established by the Board of Game (board) in 2008 for wolf control; it is designed to increase the Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd (SAPCH) on the mainland portion of Unit 9(D) to aid in achieving intensive management (IM) objectives;(2) caribou and wolf objectives are as follows: (A) the IM population objective for the SAPCH as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 1,500 - 4,000 caribou; (B) the caribou harvest objective for the SAPCH as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 150 - 200 caribou in combination with harvest from the Unimak caribou herd (UCH); (C) the management objective for Unit 9 wolves is to maintain a wolf population that will sustain a three-year average annual harvest of at least 50 wolves; and (D) the brown bear population objective for Unit 9 is to maintain a high- Density bear population with a sex and age structure that can sustain a harvest composed of 60 percent males, with 50 males eight years of age or older during combined fall and spring seasons;(3) board findings concerning populations and human use are as follows: (A) the board has designated the SAPCH as important for providing high levels of human consumptive use;(B) the board established objectives for population size and annual sustained harvest of caribou in Unit 9(D) consistent with multiple use and principles of sound conservation and management of habitat and all wildlife species in the area;(C) the population and harvest is currently below IM objectives for the SAPCH; however harvest is below objectives because of low hunter participation;(D) wolves are a major predator of caribou in the range of the SAPCH and were an important factor in population and harvest levels falling below IM objectives during the mid 2000°s; (E) a reduction of predation was successful in achieving IM objectives in the late fl 2000°s, setting a precedent for future actions;(F) nutrition is not considered to be the primary factor limiting caribou population growth;(G) future reduction in predation is likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active management techniques and based on scientific information;(H) future reduction in predation is likely to be effective given land ownership patterns; and(I) future reduction in predation is in the best interests of subsistence users and is recognized under the state's intensive management law as an area where caribou are to be managed for high levels of human consumptive use;(4) authorized methods and means are as follows: (A) hunting and trapping of wolves by the public in treatment areas during the term of the management program will occur as provided in the hunting and trapping regulations set out elsewhere in this title, including the use of motorized vehicles as provided in 5 AAC 92.080;(B) the commissioner may issue public aerial shooting permits, public land-and-shoot permits, or ground-based shooting permits, or allow agents of the state or department employees to conduct aerial, land-and-shoot, or ground-based shooting as a method of wolf removal under AS 16.05.783, including the use of any type of aircraft; (C) the commissioner may authorize the use of state employees or agents or state owned, privately owned, or chartered equipment, including helicopters, as a method of wolf removal under AS 16.05.783;(5) time frame is as follows: (A) through June 30, 2031, the commissioner may authorize the removal of wolves in the Southern Alaska Peninsola Predation Management Area to aid in population growth or improve harvest of the SAPCH; and(B) annually, the department shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the board a report of program activities conducted during the preceding 12 months, including implementation activities, the status of caribou and wolf populations, and recommendations for changes, if necessary, to achieve the objectives of the plan;(6) The commissioner will review, modify, or suspend program activities as follows: (A) when the mid-point of the IM population or harvest objectives for the SAPCH is achieved;(B) if, after three years, the harvest of wolves is not sufficient to make progress towards the IM population objectives for wolves;(C) if, after three years, there is no detectable increase in the total number of caribou in the control area;(D) if, after three years, bull-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or remain below 20 bulls per 100 cows;(E) if, after three years, fall calf-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or can be sustained at 25 or more calves per 100 cows;(F) if, after three years, any measure consistent with significant levels of nutritional stress in the caribou population are identified; or(G) when the caribou population and harvest objectives within the SAPCH Predation Management Area have been met.Eff. 10/1/93, Register 127; am 8/18/95, Register 135; am 7/1/96, Register 138; add'l am 7/1/96, Register 138; am 7/27/97, Register 143; am 2/22/2000, Register 153; am 7/1/2000, Register 154; am 7/19/2000, Register 155; am 1/3/2001, Register 156; am 7/1/2001, Register 158; am 8/22/2001, Register 159; am 7/26/2003, Register 167; am 7/1/2004, Register 170; am 1/1/2005, Register 172; am 7/1/2005, Register 174; am 1/26/2006, Register 177; am 6/24/2006, Register 178; am 9/1/2006, Register 179; am 7/1/2007, Register 182; am 3/21/2008, Register 186; am 5/20/2008, Register 186; am 5/21/2009, Register 190; am 7/1/2009, Register 190; am 5/16/2010, Register 194; am 7/1/2010, Register 194; add'l am 7/1/2010, Register 194; am 12/15/2010, Register 196; am 1/29/2011, Register 197; am 5/14/2011, Register 198; am 7/1/2011, Register 198; am 3/24/2012, Register 201; am 4/1/2012, Register 201; am 7/1/2012, Register 202; am 6/23/2022, Register 242, July 2022Authority:AS 16.05.255
AS 16.05.270
AS 16.05.783