ADFG Still Planning Predator Control Program Despite Judicial Rulings

The Alaska Department of Fish Game’s plans to continue a predator control process that has gotten plenty of pushback and court rulings calling the state’s process unconstitutional. The Alaska Beacon has some details on the latest twist:

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said Friday it will resume its predator control this weekend in Western Alaska, despite a court ruling two days earlier that determined the program remains in violation of the state constitution. …

The program is needed to improve calf survival so that the herd size can grow enough to support hunting, the department’s statement said. “During the peak, this herd provided as many as 4,770 caribou for the subsistence needs of more than 48 local communities, as well as hunting opportunities for all Alaskans and nonresidents,” the statement said.

While Rankin declined to issue a restraining order sought by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, she ruled that the need for such an order was moot. Her ruling, issued Wednesday, said the state remained bound by an earlier decision, issued on March 14 by Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi, which found that the program was unconstitutional. The Board of Game’s action two weeks later failed to address the deficiencies that Guidi identified, she said.

The Mulchatna predator control program was initially authorized in 2022. It started in 2023. Through it, 180 bears and 19 wolves have been killed, according to the department.

The program has been carried out during spring and early summer, the time of year when the caribou are giving birth to their calves that department officials say are vulnerable to being killed by bears.

Here’s the ADFG press release:

ADF&G Continues Predator Control to Benefit Mulchatna Caribou

May 9, 2025 (Anchorage) — As planned, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will begin predator removal in the Mulchatna Caribou Herd Intensive Management Program on May 10, 2025. This follows a court hearing on May 6, 2025, in the Third Judicial Superior Court in Anchorage this week. The court order did not prohibit these activities or invalidate emergency regulations adopted by the Alaska Board of Game on March 27, 2025. Additional information will be provided by the Departments of Fish and Game and Law in the near future.

These activities are undertaken to improve Mulchatna caribou calf survival to grow the herd to a level that provides for harvest. During the peak, this herd provided as many as 4,770 caribou for the subsistence needs of more than 48 local communities, as well as hunting opportunities for all Alaskans and nonresidents. Additional information on predator control for this herd can be found here.

This is an issue that has very little clarity and will continue to be divisive.