ALASKA'S FISH AND WILDLIFE

By CLARENCE J. RHODE Regional Director, Alaska and WILL BARKER

Illustrated by BOB HINES

A.1

CIRCULAR 17 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Douglas McKay, Secretary FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, Albert M. Day, Director

Circular 17 supersedes Circular 3, Birds and Mammals of Alaska (1942)

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1953

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 26, D. C. - Price 25 cents Contents

Page THE COUNTRY ------1 Southeastern Alaska 4 The Gulf Region 5 The Interior 6 The Arctic Shelf 7 Aleutian Islands 8 Pribilof Islands 9 Nunivak Island 10 FISHES - - - - 11 MAMMALS ------19 BIRDS ------39 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT - - - - 44 License requirements_ 45 LISTS OF ALASKA'S FISH AND WILDLIFE - - - - 46 TREES AND SHRUBS IMPORTANT TO WILDLIFE - - - - 55 RANGE MAPS - - - - 56 BIBLIOGRAPHY ------58 INDEX ------60 (iii)

ALASKA'S FISH - AND WILDLIFE

Alaska, rugged and primitive, is the Arctic Circle and 99° F. at a land of surprises for the new- Klukwan in Southeastern Alaska comer—soldier, sportsman, tourist, top the highest recorded temper- or homesteader. ature of 95° F. at Miami, Fla. Of Giant strawberries, 50-pound cab- course, in some places the bottom bages, delphiniums 9 feet tall, drops out of the thermometer. At grow in parts of the country we Tanana on the Yukon, 70 degrees bought from the Russians, whose below zero have been recorded, and chief interest was the exploitation Fairbanks, chief town of central of the country's rich fur re- Alaska, has felt the bite of 66 de- sources. Along with numerous grees below zero. fishes, big-game animals, and game The temperature fluctuations birds, these fur resources are im- give the mosquitoes no trouble. portant in Alaska's economy today. These pests thrive in many places, Alaska is not the frigid land of particularly in swampy river bot- popular concept, though it does toms like those along the Yukon, have extremely cold weather. one of the longest waterways in Average annual snowfall in West North America. But even though Virginia is more than that of the it has mosquitoes so fierce you need Arctic lowlands, and greatest sum- a double headnet, Alaska does not mer heat in central Alaska is about have snakes of any kind. on a par with that of New York Surprisingly, the glaciers are in City. the south, southwest, and southeast. The weatherwise have learned to They can form in these regions be- expect almost anything in the way cause of heavy precipitation and of temperatures in Alaska, nearly high mountains—a combination three-fourths of which is in the that even causes glaciers in equa- North Temperate Zone. Record- torial Africa. Alaska's greatest ice ings of 100° F. at Fort Yukon on mass is the Malaspina glacier on the 1

southern flank of Mount St. Elias. This vast and sprawling land has At least 250 other glaciers have been an intricate coast line totaling located and named. 33,000 miles. There are more than When we bought Alaska, it was 3,000 islands, 1,100 of them in the commonly thought that we had Alexander Archipelago through made a poor buy. But the return which the Inland Passage winds its on the investment of $7,200,000 has way. Boats that thread the Passage been about 2,430 percent. What is put in at three of Alaska's largest more, the purchase of Alaska gave cities, Ketchikan, Juneau (the the United States a stronghold to present capital), and Sitka (the old dominate the North Pacific—a Russian capital). necessity foreseen by 'William The population of Alaska is Henry Seward, Lincoln's Secretary sparse—about 129,000 in 1950. of State. who negotiated the pur- Average distribution is 1 person to chase in 1867. every 5 square miles, as compared A major seaport of Alaska is with 50 to the square mile for the named for Seward. Gateway to 48 States, 29 for Texas, and 748 the interior, Seward is the southern for Rhode Island. This popula- terminus of the Alaska railroad, tion is made up of outlanders of and the outfitting center for big- many nationalities, and Aleuts game hunters headed for Kenai (pronounced alley-oots), Eskimos, Peninsula. and Indians. There are trophies to be taken on Alaska's residents are governed the peninsula, but big game here by the Territorial Legislature, as well as elsewhere in Alaska is by created in 1912. Its fish and wild- no means as plentiful as people have been led to believe. Though gold mining is often thought to be Alaska's ranking in- dustry, it is overshadowed by the commercial fisheries—to which canning of salmon contributes 80 to 90 percent of the output. Trapping and agriculture make significant contributions to the economy, and transportation and the growing tourist trade add to the income of this land whose 586,400 square miles are a fifth as large as the 48 States. , Its expanse can be appreciated by o 457 comparing a map of Alaska with a map of the 48 States, drawn to the same scale. North and south, parts • e. of Alaska would stretch from Can- ada to Mexico, and east and west from Georgia to California. 2 life resources are managed by the With its striking contrasts in Alaska Game Commission and the physical features, climate, , vegeta- United States Fish and Wildlife tion, and animal life, Alaska is most Service. The Territorial Depart- easily described one part at a time. ment of Fisheries conducts scientific Brief descriptions of its five rather investigations of the fisheries re- natural divisions, and of Nunivak sources and works closely with the Island and the Pribilof Islands Fish and Wildlife Service. follow.

1,

ALASKA BY REGIONS

ARCTIC SHELF ...... f.

INTER/OR

...... • NUN/VANC) GULF •-.. I REGION I

• PRIBILOF o ISLANDS

r•1/4,.

D f \ ISLAN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA s \s

3 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA

Southeastern Alaska is the strip, inches at Haines. Temperatures sometimes called the Panhandle, are not extreme : the January aver- from Portland Canal up the coast age is 30° F., the July, 57° F. The to Yakutat. Its mainland is a nar- forest is largely western hemlock row belt of high, ice-capped moun- and Sitka spruce. tains, and along its coast are many Big-game animals of Southeast- forested islands and countless bays ern Alaska include the Sitka deer, and inlets. The climate is mild and the mountain goat, brown and black wet. Most of the precipitation is bears, and a few moose in the val- during the winter. Annual rain- leys of the large mainland rivers. fall averages 99 inches, but varies Among fur animals are the beaver, from 150 inches at Ketchikan to 60 the muskrat, the wolf, the land otter, the mink, the marten, the weasel, and the wolverine. In the waters of the Inland Passage are sea _lions, whales, Dall's porpoise and the Pacific Harbor porpoise, and one of the hair seals—the Paci- fic harbor seal. Halibut, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and pink, king, and silver salmon are some of the fishes in this region, while in the varied bird population are grouse, ptarmigan, Steller's jay, the Alaska chickadee, the pine gros- beak, the osprey, both the golden and the bald eagle, and in winter the rare trumpeter swan, which nests in British Columbia and Al- RAINBOW berta to the east. 4 THE GULF REGION

The Alaska Range cuts across the game animals of the region. There Territory in a huge arc, and the are some transplanted elk on land below this arc is known as the Afognak Island and deer along the Gulf Region. Drained by the Cop- coast. Among the smaller animals per and Susitna Rivers, it includes are ground squirrels, marmots, por- the base of the Alaska Peninsula, cupines, the Arctic shrew, lem- the Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak mings, and the varying hare. Up- Island. It is the most important land game birds include grouse and game region in the Territory. willow ptarmigan, and there are Average January temperatures migratory waterfowl such as green- range from about 26° F. at Kodiak, winged teal, Canada geese and Kodiak Island, to about —22° F. at white-fronted geese, and harlequin, Copper Center on the Copper River, pintail, and mallard ducks. Song on the mainland. It has been much birds include the slate-colored colder in both places—absolute junco, the blackpolled warbler, and minimum for January is 74 degrees the robin. In coastal waters are the below zero at Copper Center and 9 Pacific harbor seal, the northern sea degrees below zero at Kodiak. lion, and many whales, including Most of the precipitation is in the the small Beluga or white whale late fall and early summer, and the which frequents Bristol Bay and average is about 35 inches. Here Cook Inlet. Streams contain trout, the northern limits of Sitka spruce salmon, and grayling. and hemlock are reached, and the black and white spruces and the birches of the Interior make an ap- pearance. The western end of the Alaska Peninsula is treeless. Moose, caribou, Dall sheep, moun- tain goats, and black, brown, and grizzly bears are the principal big- DOLLY VARDEN

211050 0-53--2 5 Between the Alaska and Brooks are but a few of the webfeet which Ranges and extending from Can- use this area for summer quarters. ada to Bering Sea are the huge cen- Here also is found the emperor tral valleys of the Yukon and Kus- goose, a beautifully colored goose of kokwim Rivers. Known as the In- medium size. Upland game birds terior, this is a region of cold dark are ruffed and spruce grouse, and winters, and of summers with con- the willow, white-tailed, and rock tinuous daylight. January tem- ptarmigan. At the peak of their peratures vary from 7° F. at Bethel cycle, these birds occur in amazing to —29° F. at Betties, with an aver- abundance. The varied thrush, the age of —10° F. Precipitation is Bohemian waxwing, the wandering relatively light, averaging about 13 tattler, and the surf bird, which inches annually, and occurring nests in the Mount McKinley re- principally during the summer. gion, are summer visitors. Here, The forests are of black and white too, is found the water ouzel, or dip- spruce, and the timber line is at per, whose search for aquatic in- 2,500 to 3,000 feet. The tundras sects is conducted under water as bordering Bering Sea are treeless. it walks along stream beds. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is Big-game populations of the area perhaps the largest waterfowl- include the Stone caribou, Dall nesting area on the continent. sheep, black and grizzly bears, and Black brant, lesser Canada geese moose. About 90 miles southeast and cackling geese, mallards, green- of Fairbanks is a herd of bison, winged teal, baldpates, and pintails started from a nucleus transplanted from the National Bison Range in Montana. Among the smaller ani- mals are muskrat, beaver, lynx, and marten. Inland waters contain trout, salmon, grayling, northern pike, whitefish, and the sheefish. In Bering Sea are various whales— humpback, sei, Pacific killer, beaked, gray, right, white, and TRUMPETER SWAN Stejneger's—and dolphins. 6 Actual arctic conditions exist in upper jaw is armed with a twisted about one-sixth of Alaska, north of tusk—the reason for its nickname Seward Peninsula and the Brooks of "sea unicorn." The walrus also Range. The low-rolling hills and churns up the chilly waters. The plateaus of the Arctic Shelf are streams contain salmon, trout, drained by north-flowing rivers and grayling, pike, and sheefish. Some streams. The climate is cold and of the birds of this region are the arid with only 6 to 8 inches of an- snowy owl, the king eider and Stel- nual precipitation in late summer ler's eider, the Alaska yellow wag- and early fall. Winters are long, tail, the gyrfalcon, the Alaska long- dark, and bitter cold; summers, spur, and the Arctic tern, which though short and cool, have virtu- makes one of the longest migrations ally continuous sunshine from May known. It summers as far north as to August. There is a luxurious land occurs and winters as far south growth of mosses, bright flowers, as Antarctica. lichens, and grasses, even though the soil cover thaws only a foot in depth. Timber is thin or non- existent, and willows, some only a few inches high, are the predomi- nant tree growth in the Arctic drainage. Caribou, ptarmigan, and an oc- casional grizzly live on the tundra along the willow-bordered streams. Polar bears and arctic foxes range the coast, and the ringed seal may be found in the inlets. Whales in the waters of the Arctic Ocean in- clude the bowhead, the blue or sul- phur bottom, and the finback. A once-in-a-while visitor to these waters is the narwhal whose left PTARMIGAN SNOWY OWL 7 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

The Aleutians are treeless, fog- ous-winged which feeds on the bound, volcanic mountain tops ris- prickly sea urchin. There are ing from the sea. They extend in jaegers, and puffins, murres, guille- a chain westward from the tip of mots, and murrelets in countless the Alaska Peninsula for about numbers. Along the rocky shores 1,100 miles in a long arc that places are nearly 20 kinds of shore birds, the outermost island, Attu, within commonest of which are the Aleu- 600 miles of the Asiatic Kurile tian sandpiper and the black oyster- catcher. There are 17 varieties of Islands. Rain falls here in all sea- land birds, with the raven the most sons, with an annual precipitation conspicuous and the Alaskan long- of about 60 inches. The climate is spur the commonest. A winter res- wet, cool, and windy, and the ident is the emperor goose, which islands, whose north-shore beaches natives call tsiesarka, a Russian have great stands of beach rye, are word meaning guinea hen. Asiatic ice-free and open to year-round visitors are Swinhoe's wagtail and navigation. the black-backed wagtail. Most striking feature of the Aleu- Mammals of the Aleutians are tians is the number and variety of few, and are found on the eastern sea birds. Representative are the islands. Blue foxes, transplanted ducks, among which may be found to certain islands under lease by the the Pacific harlequin, the king Government to Aleut communities, eider, Steller's eider, the old squaw, are the only large land mammal on and the American scoter. Of the the outer islands, like Attu. On gulls, the commonest is the glauc- Unimak Island, there are caribou, brown bears, wolverines, and the Alaska Peninsula hare, which turns pure white in winter. There are lemmings on some of the islands, and the saddle-back shrew lives on Unalaska. The Norway rat and the house mouse, unfortunately, have become established in all the 8 larger settlements, and the Aleutian rare bearded seal. Various species ground squirrel, a colony-living of whales frequent Bering Sea, in- animal, was introduced from the cluding the killer whale, which mainland to Unalaska, Umnak, and travels in packs and preys on fur- Kavalga. seal pups. Dolphins are present Sea mammals abound in the also, and there are cod, Atka mack- waters around the Aleutians. The erel, halibut, capelin, and the sand remnant of a once-abundant herd lance. of sea otters, whose pelts the Rus- In addition to Dolly Varden sians prized, is now slowly rebuild- trout, some salmon are found in the ing under Fish and Wildlife Serv- Aleutians, though generally not in ice protection. The seals are great abundance. There are also represented by the northwest har- bullheads, or sculpins, and the bor seal (the commonest), and the three-spined stickleback.

PRIBILOF ISLANDS

About 200 miles north of the range on these islands is slight : Aleutians lie the mist-shrouded in summer the thermometer seldom Pribilofs on whose boulder-strewn registers more than 50° F. and in beaches and rocky ledges the fur winter the range is usually between seals breed. The Pribilof group, 20° F. and 25° F. Precipitation is volcanic in origin, contains five heavy, and mostly in the form of islands, of which St. Paul and St. a drizzle or light snow. In sum- George are the largest. The others mer chilly fogs are almost constant; are Otter Island, Walrus Island, at other seasons of the year the and Sea Lion Rock—the last two winds are violent; and in winter the hardly more than reefs above the Arctic pack ice sometimes closes in wash of the sea. The temperature along the shore. 9 The Pribilofs are treeless; the breeding grounds. Once nearly ex; ground is covered by shrubs, creep- tinct, the seals receive special care ing willows, and dwarfed heath- from the Fish and Wildlife Service, like plants. The larger islands and are now an important source of have an abundance of flowering revenue for the United States. plants of subarctic species which Other sea mammals found in the bloom from early June to late vicinity of the Pribilofs are the rib- August. Fields of saxifrages, arc- bon seal, the Pribilof harbor seal, tic poppies, and lupines grow with and Steller's or the northern sea almost tropical luxuriance because lion. At one time, these islands of the moist summer. were also the home of the sea otter. Land mammal life is limited. Killer whales are generally present, There is a Pribilof shrew known and the bowhead can sometimes be only on St. Paul and a black-footed seen in the vicinity of St. Paul. brown lemming peculiar to St. Fish taken in Pribilof waters are George. Both larger islands have halibut, Alaska cod, flounders, and the blue fox, whose main food is the sculpin. least auklet, and the house mouse was accidentally introduced. There is evidence that the giant mammoth once lived on the islands, possibly when they were connected with the mainland. Like the Aleutians, the Pribilofs have quantities of birds. About 100 species have been noted, and 20 species breed there. Among the shore birds are the Pribilof sand- piper which winters in Southeast- ern Alaska, and the black turnstone which winters in Lower California. Sea birds include the king and Pa- NUNIVAK ISLAND cific eiders and black-legged and red-legged kittiwakes. Migrants Nunivak Island, 50 miles long, is the second largest island in Bering include the red phalarope, the Pa- Sea. Now a national wildlife cific golden plover, the wandering refuge, this is the home of an intro- tattler, and the horned puffin. duced herd of musk oxen, and of the Year-round bird residents are the introduced blue fox and reindeer. Aleutian rosy finch, the Pribilof During migration time, the waters snow bunting, the Alaska wren, and around Nunivak Island are thick the western harlequin duck. with scoters and eiders of several Most important of the sea mam- species. The grasshopper warbler mals on the Pribilofs is the Alaska and the mountain accentor have fur seal which summers on the two been found as accidental visitors larger islands, and uses them as from Siberia. 10 COMMERCIAL FISH Wildlife Service patrols most of Each year Alaska's commercial the 33,000 miles of Alaska's coast- fisheries yield products of greater line during the fishing season. With value than any other natural re- proper management, the fisheries source. Fishing contributes over can be maintained indefinitely at a one-half of the Territorial tax rev- high level of production but con- enue and provides employment for servation measures must match the about 30,000 persons, almost a constantly increasing commercial fourth of the population. operations. So much gear has been The salmon industry is the added to the fishing fleet since foundation of Alaska's economic World War II that salmon runs in structure. Five species of salmon— most areas have shown distinct king or chinook, silver or coho, signs of depletion. red or sockeye, pink or humpback, Salmon are rich in proteins, fats, and chum or dog—are taken by and vitamins, and are especially trolling at sea and by fish traps, good for canning. Although large beach seines, purse seines, and gill quantities are sold on the fresh-fish nets in inside waters. Fishing is markets and considerable amounts principally confined to the spawn- are frozen, pickled, and smoked, ing runs, when the mature fish the bulk of the catch is canned. gather in well-defined migration Kinds of salmon—King or chi- routes on their way from the ocean nook salmon occur in Alaska from to the rivers and streams. All Dixon Entrance to the Yukon species of Pacific salmon are anad- River. They reach maturity at romous, that is, they return from widely differing ages, varying from the ocean to the freshwater streams 3 to 7 years. Full-grown kings of their birth to spawn. Unlike average about 23 pounds, although Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon die an occasional one may weigh as after a single spawning. much as 100 pounds. Kings usu- Next in importance are halibut, ally migrate into the larger rivers, herring, clams, crabs, sablefish, and such as those on the mainland, and shrimp. Trout, rockfish, lingcod, are the first species to enter the oysters, smelts, and others are taken commercial fisheries in each of the in limited quantities. several districts. The runs in To protect these fish, the Fish and Southeastern Alaska are generally 11 salmon commonly strike a lure and can be trolled for. This method of salmon fishing is practiced only in Southeastern Alaska. Red or sockeye salmon range• from Southeastern waters to the Kuskokwim River, and go up those rivers with accessible lakes in their watersheds. Bristol Bay is the greatest producing area of this spe- cies in the world. Reds range from 15 to 20 inches and average 6 pounds. The most common age is 5 years, but there are sizeable pro- portions of 4-year-olds and 6-year- olds. Runs usually begin late in June and continue through July, although the Karluk and Chignik Rivers have two runs, one in June, the other in August. Pink or humpback salmon range from Southeastern Alaska to Bris- tol Bay. Southeastern Alaska is the center of abundance, and pro- duces an average annual pack of 2,000,000 cases. Pinks mature uni- formly at 2 years, and each stream with an annual run supports two SALMON (from top): Kin4; Coho; separate populations. Pink salmon Chum; Humpback; Sockeye. may vary widely but average about 18 inches and 4 pounds. Runs are in May while those further north from July to September. Pinks and west come in June. prefer the lower reaches of smaller Silver or coho salmon are almost streams near the coast and appar- universally distributed from Dixon ently ascend only as far as neces- Entrance to Kotzebue Sound, north sary to avoid congestion. Under of Nome. The coho may reach 36 favorable conditions, pinks repro- inches and weigh as much as 30 duce in tremendous abundance. pounds, but averages 24 inches and Chum or dog salmon, although 9 pounds. Maturity is reached at not the most abundant, are the most about 3 years in Alaska waters. widely distributed of the salmon, Adults ascend nearly all coastal entering almost every stream from streams and rivers to spawn. The Southeastern Alaska to the Mac- runs are late in the season, from kenzie River of the Arctic. Their July to December. King and silver range in age and size is likewise 12 great, running from 3 to 6 years, and 5 to 45 pounds, with an average weight in the commercial catch of 8 pounds. Runs begin in midsum- mer and continue into the fall, with the earliest fish usually going the farthest upstream. Abundance in any given locality may vary greatly from year to year, and less is known about this species than the others, perhaps because it is the least valu- able commercially. Halibut—The halibut is the largest of the flatfish, weighing as much as 600 pounds but averaging less than 50. As fishes go, it is ex- ceedingly long-lived : a 7-foot fish Copper River flats, Cook Inlet, and may be 50 years old. Most halibut Shelikof Strait make up most of marketed in the United States the clam production. A few comes from Alaska. The catch in cockles are dug in Prince William Pacific waters is regulated by quota Sound for canning and for crab under international treaty with bait, and some butter clams are Canada, and the permitted catch is taken from the gravel beaches of taken each year from May to July. the Gulf of Alaska and the South- Competition from synthetic vita- eastern Region. All clams are har- mins has recently reduced the mar- vested by hand shovels and are ket value of the halibut's vitamin- subject to commercial fishing regu- bearing liver. lations to prevent depletion of the supply. Canned razor clams are a superior product. In recent years SHELLFISH only a few butter clams have been Shrimp—Cold-packed and froz- canned in Southeastern Alaska. en shrimp meat comes mainly from Oysters—The production of oys- the Wrangell-Petersburg area of ters in Alaska has been from a Southeastern Alaska. In addition, single commercial bed in the Ketch- small packs of canned shrimp have ikan area. Spat must be trans- been put up from time to time in planted from other regions because lower Cook Inlet. the water is too cold for successful Clams—Razor clams from the reproduction.

211050 0-53-3 13 lakes near Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Salmon—From the sportsman's SPORT FISH point of view, marine fishes worthy of consideration are the king or chinook and the silver or coho sal- mon. These may be caught by troll- Nature has done as well by ing, spinning, or casting, and both Alaska's freshwater fisheries as by species are widely distributed. its marine, and the angler has many They range north into the Arctic excellent fishing grounds to choose Ocean, but appear in greatest num- from. bers in waters adjacent to the Pa- The fresh-water fisherman can cific Ocean. try his luck in two kinds of streams. King salmon run larger and can Coastal streams are short and fairly be distinguished from silver salmon swift, flowing through deep, nar- by their actions when hooked. A row, densely wooded valleys, with king generally takes the hook be- banks often covered by heavy low the surface and sounds at once, brush. Their many clear pools and taking out as much as 200 feet of riffles interspersed with numerous line, with most of the fighting be- waterfalls make a fishing trip beau- low the surface. King salmon have tiful and exciting. become an exceptionally popular Inland clear-water streams are sport fish, particularly in South- usually longer. Rising from snow- eastern Alaska where this species fed mountain lakes, their upper is the basis for annual salmon der- reaches traverse high plateaus bies. These are usually held in July • sparsely covered with dwarf wil- under the auspices of the Terri- lows and alders. The lower reaches torial Sportsmen's Association. are reasonably free of dense under- The silver will strike even when growth. The large rivers have the bait or lure is in sight of the their sources in glaciers and are boat. When hooked, it makes a fast silt-laden, but most of their tribu- run of 30 feet or more, breaks water, taries are clear and carry big pop- and leaps several feet into the air. ulations of game fish, except in It continues these tactics on the sur- waters near cities. face until played out, and for that reason is regarded by sportsmen as Alaska's fresh-water game fishes a superior game fish. are the rainbow, steelhead, cut- One of the best areas for silver throat, lake, and Dolly Varden salmon is Southeastern Alaska. trout as well as the grayling, great Here, behind island barriers, long northern pike, and inconnu or shee- stretches of protected water allow fish. Various colored sculpins, fishing without hazard. Chatham marine and fresh water, are found Strait, the channel dividing practically everywhere. In 1931, Chichagof and Baranof Islands eastern brook trout were trans- from Admiralty Island, is the finest planted successfully into barren of these. Stephens Passage, Lynn 14 Cutthroat Rainbow Dolly Varden TROUT: Lake and Behm Canals, Frederick are found in coastal rivers from Sound, Clarence, Sumner, and Icy Dixon Entrance northward, and in Straits, and waters off the west suitable waters of the Interior south coasts of Prince of Wales and of the Yukon drainage. They are Baranof Islands also have big runs stocked in some landlocked lakes, of these fish. particularly in Southeastern Pink and chum salmon have no Alaska. Their average size is importance as sport fishes although smaller than that of the anadro- all have been taken incidentally mous steelhead, but individuals of with sport tackle. In certain lakes, 27 to 30 inches are common in a the sockeye and the coho sometimes few areas. develop landlocked varieties that Steelhead trout are silvery gray, resemble trout in size and fighting and lack the brilliant coloration of ability. the rainbow. In fresh water, color- Trout—At one time steelhead ation may become more pronounced. and rainbow trout were considered This sparsely spotted fish, recently distinct species, but study has come into its own in the sporting shown that the two are salt- and world, may be found in most of the fresh-water forms of a single spe- large coastal streams and in many cies. They resemble the Atlantic of the smaller ones. Average salmon in habits and appearance. weight of the steelhead in Alaska is Rainbows, as the name implies, 8 to 10 pounds, but larger ones are are brilliantly colored along the often taken. side and are heavily spotted. They These two trout offer the best of 15 sport fishing. Both will accept all pie would be able to distinguish the types of lures—flies, spinners, or cooked flesh from that of any of bait. the preferred game species. Al- The Dolly Varden trout is the though it is condemned for destroy- most abundant trout in Alaska. It ing salmon eggs, studies indicate is a native of virtually all the coastal that it usually eats drifting eggs streams and lakes from Alexander that would be lost anyway. This Archipelago bordering British trout will strike almost any lure, Columbia to the islands of the Aleu- and is at its best for food when tian Chain and Bering Strait. taken at sea or on its way upstream. Golden fin, bull trout, and mountain One of the finest game and food Dolly are local names for this fish fishes in Alaskan waters is the which may vary widely in appear- coastal cutthroat trout. This trout ance owing to local conditions. has a salmonoid shape with silver This species is distinguished by sides, white belly, blue, green, or its light or pink spots—other trout brownish spots, and a profuse cov- have dark spots—and by its larger ering of black spots, even over the mouth. It ranges in length up to tail region. The cutthroat is one 30 inches, although there are stories of the two black-spotted trouts in of measurements of 4 feet or more. Alaska (the other is the rainbow; The Dolly is usually anadromous, neither the Dolly Varden nor the spawning in fresh water and spend- lake trout has black spots on the ing most of its life in the ocean; an back) . Two red lines on the jaw arctic variety, the so-called arctic give the cutthroat its name, al- char, stays in fresh-water lakes, though on fish just in from the sea except when ascending tributary these marks are often greenish or streams in the fall for spawning. yellow, or occasionally missing. The Dolly has suffered consider- Cutthroat will run as much as 25 able abuse through the years. inches in size. They are found in Many sport fishermen won't try for many of the coastal streams from it because of its supposed lack of the southern end of Southeastern fight. Commercial fishermen and Alaska to the western end of Prince salmon packers have long de- William Sound. manded its destruction on the The cutthroat generally spawns ground that it is harmful to salmon from February to May, though it runs because it feeds on salmon may be as early as December. eggs and young. Substantial sums After a summer at sea, adults re- in wages and bounties have been enter the streams in the fall, and spent by salmon packers and the it is then that the greatest numbers Territory of Alaska for eradication are taken by sport fishermen. in westward areas, particularly in Though not as large as other Bristol Bay. trout, the coastal cutthroat puts up Actually the Dolly has every bit a spectacular fight when taken on as much fight as the eastern brook light tackle. A variety of lures, trout or the lake trout, and few peo- such as flies, spinners, and salmon 16 GRAYLING NORTHERN PIKE eggs, are effective. The cutthroat tail. Because few Alaskan speci- may be taken at sea where it travels mens have been recorded, the size in schools. And when a school has they reach is unknown, but 30- been located, the angler can catch pounders are not unusual. them as fast as he can put out a This trout is found in the Brooks lure and pull in the fish. The fa- Range, and is most abundant in vorite salt-water lure for this pur- western Alaska. Although favored pose is the "pop gear" type of com- habitat is in the deeper lakes, it also bination flashers and spinners, likes their outlets where it feeds on trolled behind a boat. migrating salmon fry or finger- Lake or Mackinaw trout is one lings. It feeds on mice and lem- of the lesser-known game fishes in mings, too, if they accidentally fall Alaska. It belongs to the group into the water. Because Mackinaws known as char, which includes the are principally carnivorous, fresh Dolly Varden and brook trout. bait or simulated fish are the best The lake trout is the largest of the lures. Spoons are probably most chars, and is distinguished by productive when fished at the out- teeth on the tongue. Its body tapers lets of lakes, although plugs are to slenderness toward the forked used with good results. "Pop gear" tail, and it has brown sides, a flashers and spoons are effective in brownish back, and white ventral deep trolling. The size of the fins edged with orange. White Mackinaw, a fall spawner, makes it spots are profuse on sides, back, and a rather formidable fish to have on 17 the end of a light line, although it law. But with proper tackle, does not compare with any of the anglers will find that pike fishing is other trout in fighting qualities. good in most of the backwaters, Fishermen in Alaska like to broil sloughs, and bottomland lakes of trout or salmon by lashing the fish the Yukon and Kuskokwim valleys, to a split log and standing the log and north to the Arctic coast. before a fire until the fish is done. During July these fish spawn in Grayling—Found in every major weedy shallows, and a plug or river drainage north of the Gulf of streamer fly will produce instant Alaska, and throughout the Alaska action. Though bony, the flesh is Peninsula, this beautiful troutlike firm and edible. fish has an insatiable appetite for Sheefish—One of the least known flies. Predominantly a surface of Alaska's sport fish is the unique feeder, it takes anything, even sheefish, or ineonnu. Inconnu, gaudy red-white-and-blue crea- meaning "unknown," is quite ap- tions, and comes clear out of the propriate, for this fish is found no- water to try for flies on a graceful where else under the American 'flag, downward plunge. When hooked, and in Alaska is largely confined to it starts its fight with a quick run northern rivers. downstream, follows with a cross- The sheefish has been loosely de- current rush, and winds up with a scribed as a cross between a white- short series of acrobatics, then tries fish and a salmon, though in action again to take the fly to the bottom. and appearance it might well be This game sport fish has an apt called an arctic tarpon. The aver- scientific name—Thymaaus SIGNI- age weight of shees is about 20 fer. Thymallus refers to the sweet pounds, but occasionally one will odor of thyme that is noticeable in tip the scales at 85 pounds. This freshly caught grayling. Signifer, great fish is a clear silvery white on or standard bearer, describes the the sides and underparts and a enormous dorsal fin which readily dusky olive on the back. Fins are distinguishes it from trout. pale and colorless; scales are dime- Grayling measure up to 23 inches size. and weigh as much as 41/2 pounds. Sheefish make such excellent eat- Their coloration is unsurpassed, ing that there is a market for them seeming at first to be purple, then in Nome and other northern com- changing to bluish-gray and sil- munities. It is during the spawn- ver—all beautifully iridescent. ing season, in summer, when they Markings are pure white under- migrate from brackish or salt water parts, V-shaped black spots be- into certain freshwater streams, tween head and middle dorsal fin, that the sport fisherman can best try and reddish stripes and several his tackle on these big, still-unex- rows of rosy circles along the sides. ploited fish. A large, bright spoon Northern pike—This fish, one cast into a deep pool on one of the of the largest and most plenti- northern streams would probably ful of Alaska's fresh-water fishes, be productive, though it often takes is one of the least popular—not even skill and persistence to get a shee- rated as a game fish under Alaska fish to strike. 18 Alaska's wildlife resources are of Bears—Alaska's big and varied vital importance to its economy and bear population includes the Alaska the welfare of its residents. What brown bear, largest meat-eater on happened to wildlife in the western land, whose top weight is as much States as unplanned settlement de- as 1,600 pounds. This bear and its stroyed habitat must not happen in cousin, the grizzly, still roam vast Alaska—one of the most important areas of Alaska, up the mainland wildlife regions of the world. coastal mountains to subarctic re- To preserve the varied and gions, and among the mountain unique mammal population in ranges of the interior. They are Alaska, wise use of these resources numerous on Admiralty, Baranof, must be the keynote of its conserva- and Chichagof Islands, the Kodiak- tion program. Afognak group, and the Alaska Early Alaskan mammals—Nat- Peninsula. ural erosion and mining operations There is a noticeable resemblance have uncovered widespread evi- between brown and grizzly bears. dence of pre-Ice-Age mammals in Alaska. The skeletal material in- cludes bones of moose, elk, musk ox, caribou, wolf, bear, and squir- rels that have living representatives in today's wildlife. Extinct species include mastodon, mammoth, horse, camel, giant bison, puma, and saber-toothed tiger. These fossil remains indi- cate a former climate much milder than that of today, which permitted the growth of redwood, elm, grape, and other plants not now found in Alaska. As with animal life, there are connecting links between the vegetation of the pre-Ice Age and modern times as demonstrated by the willows, birches, and cotton- woods. 19 bluish-colored glacier bear. Its range is limited and lies between Lynn Canal and Cape St. Elias. The young of black bears are born in January, while the mother is still in hibernation. There are from,one to four cubs, which stay with the mother for 2 years, as the female breeds only every other year. Black bears eat grass, berries, fish, rodents, insects, moose calves, and occasionally other small ani- mals. They are great scavengers, Scientifically they have been sepa- and along the coast their flesh is rated into 9 groups, made up of seldom palatable because they eat about 30 species and subspecies. In dead fish and carrion. In the in- this assortment there is a wide range terior and when they are not eating both in color and in size. flesh, bear meat is good. The Toklat grizzly of the Alaska As a rule, black bears are not Range, for instance, is cream- hunted for trophies, though glacier colored, while the Shiras brown bears are prized by some sportsmen bear of Admiralty Island is almost because of their unusual color. coal-black. The grizzly of Norton The polar bear is one of Alaska's Sound is comparatively small, larger bears. Males weigh from but the Kodiak brown bear is a 700 to 1,600 pounds. Strong and whopper. graceful swimmers, these huge Each of these bears is of prime white animals live mostly along the interest to the big-game hunter. southern border of the ice pack in When wounded, the brown or the Arctic waters. They move south in grizzly will put up a fierce fight. winter to follow the food supply as Mothers with cubs have been known the ice shifts, then head back north to attack people. to the frozen packs in summer. A Black bears are among the most important of the big-game animals, and range over about three-fifths of Alaska. They are absent from the islands of Frederick Sound, those of the Alaska Peninsula, and the treeless tundra along Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The weight of an adult black bear is from 200 to 300 pounds, though some have reached 500 pounds. In Alaska, this bear is usually black, but cinnamon and blue phases are found—oddest and rarest is the 20

Black Blue (Glacier) Cinnamon BLACK BEAR COLOR PHASES sudden advance of ice sometimes tains so much vitamin A that it brings them as far south as Bering causes a sickness—hypervitamino- Strait. sis—similar to the shock caused by Females, which weigh around an overdose of protein. The fat is 700 pounds, have young every 2 used by the Eskimos, who also make years. The hairless cubs are born garments of the pelt and ornaments in late December or early January, of the teeth and claws. The pelt is and do no't open their eyes for 6 quite a prize, and about 100 of weeks. All polar bears except them, worth 6 to 8 dollars a foot, pregnant females—the only polar as measured from nose to tip of bears to hibernate—are constantly tail, are exported yearly. on the search for food. This con- Mountain shee p—The Dall sists of fish, seals, walrus, kelp, sea mountain sheep is the only wild ducks (like eiders and scoters), and white sheep in existence. The other birds. white coat and the long curled A polar-bear hunt is always a horns of the ram make it one of the dangerous undertaking. Polar- handsomest specimens of Alaskan bear meat is a welcome food for wildlife, and one of the most prized hunters or anyone stranded in trophies on the North American Arctic regions. To avoid trichino- continent. sis, it should be well-cooked. The The gun or camera hunter must liver should 'lever be eaten : It con- work hard to get within range of 211050 0-53-4 21

DALL SHEEP MOUNTAIN GOAT these sheep. They are found only kill newly born lambs on rare oc- in rugged terrain—high in the casions, but their importance as mountain ranges from Kenai Pen- predators has been exaggerated. insula to within a few miles of the Rams that reach maturity weigh Arctic coast. A little less than half from 175 to 200 pounds, and ewes of the estimated population is weigh less than 150. Both sexes found in the remote Brooks Range have comparatively short life north of the Arctic Circle. This spans: females seldom live beyond species declined greatly in numbers 12 years, while males are "ancient" between 1940 and 1945 but, with the at 14 years. It is these ancient help of complete protection in some rams that furnish prize trophy areas, it has been increasing re- heads. cently. A new three-quarter-curl Mountain goat—The mountain (of the horns) regulation limits the goat lives among the cliffs and hunting kill to older rams. crags of the mighty coast range be- Young Da11 sheep are born in tween Portland Canal and the May or June. A single lamb is the Kenai Peninsula, inland along the rule; twins are rare. Lambs de- Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains, velop strength rapidly, and in less and into the Copper River Valley. than a month are able to follow They are not found on the islands their parents high up in the crags. of southeastern Alaska, with the ex- These sheep feed almost entirely ception of Baranof Island, where on alpine grasses, supplementing they have been successfully stocked. their diet with minerals from licks. Both sexes of these hardy, long- Their enemies are few. Aside from haired and sure-footed white ani- man, the wolf and the coyote are mals have short, black horns. A probably the most important preda- grown billy weighs from 200 to 300 tors. Even these are not as harm- pounds, a nanny somewhat less. ful as severe winters. Eagles may Grasses, ferns, lichens make up the 22 summer diet. In winter, when the deep snows of the coastal mountains cover most of their food, the goats are forced to lower elevations or onto windswept slopes where they browse on alder twigs or whatever vegetation they can find. They will travel down to the salt-water beaches for salt when licks are not available. Undoubtedly, many goats get killed by snowslides or by falling from rocky trails. There is little MOOSE evidence of predation by wolves, bears, wolverines, or other natural or two in number. As a rule only enemies. Goats are usually hunted 50 to 60 percent of the cows produce in a few accessible areas. The heads calves. and hides make interesting trophies, Anders of the older bulls are usu- and the meat of the kids is good. ally shed in December ; the younger Several refuges and closed areas bulls retain theirs a little longer. have been established where terrain Antler growth starts again in April or inaccessibility are not sufficient and is completed in late August. protection against overhunting. Between the sixth and tenth year Moose—The Kenai moose is the antlers attain maximum spread, largest of its kind on earth. Bulls then diminish in size as old age reach a weight of 1,400 pounds or approaches. better, with the cows somewhat Scrub growth of willow, birch, smaller, generally the rule in na- and aspen provides the winter range ture. With an antler spread of 6 essential to large moose herds. In feet or more, bulls are a fine hunt a day, 1 moose will eat 40 to 50 trophy. Moose furnish the winter's pounds of this browse. Unchecked, meat supply for hundreds of a moose herd can increase beyond Alaskans. the capacity of the winter forage In late summer, bulls congregate plants to support it. This results in the higher country and polish in deterioration of the range and their antlers in preparation for the subsequent starvation in the herd during severe winters. Moose pop- mating season. From Mid-Sep- ulations fluctuate over long periods tember to late October, they vie for in response to changes in habitat. supremacy in struggles that some- Natural enemies of the moose are times end in death for the weaker. wolf and bear which prey especially The victor claims from one to sev- on the calves. Accidental death is eral cows. caused by breaking through thin May or June of the following ice, falls on glare ice, being caught year sees the birth of the long- in snares or other entanglements, legged, reddish-brown calves, one drowning of calves in river cross- 23 ings, and battling during breeding ibou of the Alaska Peninsula and season. the Stone caribou of the eastern Management of the moose in- half of the interior and the Arctic cludes yearly inventories, studies of Shelf. range capacities, and regulation of In days gone by, when there were hunting seasons so as to maintain millions of caribou, their migra- the herds. Predator control, where tions would hold up paddle-wheel practiced, results in greater pro- steamers for hours while the ani- duction for hunting. Refuges are mals crossed the Yukon River. established to meet the moose's need Some herds travel hundreds of for large areas as free as possible miles to new ranges, and all herds from human interference. Some of are constantly on the move in these are inviolate sanctuaries, search of the slow-growing lichens others have limited hunting. The or "reindeer moss", their principal Kenai National Moose Range was winter food supply. One large set up in 1941 primarily for the herd moved from the Fortymile re- moose. gion of eastern Alaska to the vi- Caribou—Despite a great de- cinity of Kotzebue on the Arctic crease in the past few years, the coast, a trek of about oco miles. wandering caribou is still the most Both sexes of caribou have ant- abundant big-game animal in lers. The large males shed their Alaska, where it ranges widely massive branched horns in Novem- over the high plateaus and moun- ber and December, and the females tain slopes. All of Alaska's cari- and some of the younger bulls shed bou are barren-ground caribou. their smaller one in May or June. Woodland caribou are not found Caribou are polygamous, and in here but are farther south in the October the bulls collect harems of forested portions of Canada. Bar- 2 to 15 cows. In May or June, each ren-ground caribou are regarded cow has a single russet calf. Cari- as two subspecies—the Grant car- bou weigh from 100 to 500 pounds. 24 They crossbreed readily with rein- in a thicket of big-leafed devil's- deer, and some caribou herds are clubs. If found, the fawns should well-mixed with reindeer. not be picked up as "orphans." Throughout their range, these Characteristic of these deer is antlered nomads are hunted for tro- their "vertical migration." As the phies and meat; extensive hunting, snow melts from higher elevations, forest fires and tundra fires, and many of the deer, particularly predation by wolves, have reduced bucks and yearlings, climb as their numbers so sharply that the high as 2,500 feet. There they stay phrase "millions of caribou" no until late fall when the deep snows longer applies. Greater protection force them to lower feeding is the only means of preventing grounds. By midwinter, if the even small migrations from becom- snow is very deep, all deer may be ing spectacles of the past. driven to the beaches where they Deer—So far as is known, Alaska will eat kelp and other marine veg- has only one true deer, the Sitka etation. Ordinarily, their food black-tailed deer. Its natural range consists of huckleberry bushes, is on the islands of Southeastern ground dogwood, fine meadow Alaska, with a few on the narrow grass, skunk cabbage, and cedar. mainland strip. Its range has been In late summer or early fall, extended by transplants north to hunting the black-tail means a the islands of Prince William climb of 2,000 feet or more, when Sound and to Yakutat and west to they are sometimes at higher al- Kodiak. There are reports that titudes than the goats. Later in another species of deer, the mule the fall many bucks are taken deer, may be spreading into east- within a few hundred feet of tide- ern Alaska from Yukon Territory. water. Hunter reports indicate In May or June the spotted that more deer are taken each year fawns of the Sitka black-tailed than any other big game in Alaska. deer are born—sometimes three but Wapiti or American elk—In generally one or two. The young 1928, a group of eight wapiti or are hidden by the mother, perhaps American elk, were captured in

SITKA BLACK-TAILED DEER ELK the Olympia Mountains in Wash- the auspices of the Federal Govern- ington State and eventually liber- ment. Fifty years later, the animal ated on Afognak Island. These that gave William F. Cody the large, deerlike animals have in- nickname of "Buffalo Bill" is creased slowly to a herd of about thriving on a limited range. 350. The winter range is somewhat In 1928, 6 male and 17 female restricted, which limits the poten- buffaloes were transplanted from tial size of the herd. the National Bison Range in Mon- This herd is a source of planting tana to Big Delta, some 90 miles stock for other areas, and gives southeast of Fairbanks. These rep- Alaska's fauna a welcome addition resentatives of an animal unknown that may one day supply trophies in Alaska for centuries have in- for big-game hunters. creased to a herd of 350.

MUSK OX BLUE FOX REINDEER

Bison—It has been estimated that Although this is a satisfactory at their peak there were about 60 increase, these buffaloes have not million bison, popularly called buf- extended their range, and have falo, on the North American con- reached the limit their present tinent. By the turn of the last range will support. In 1950 a new century there was one small wild herd was started in the upper Cop- band in Yellowstone Park and a per River Valley by transplanting few animals in Canada. When it 17 bison from Big Delta. looked as if this humpbacked ani- These animals are big game in mal would soon be extinct, conser- every sense of the word. Bulls vationists took action. In 1902 a weigh from 1,600 pounds to a ton. buffalo-restoration project was Cows are considerably smaller. started in Yellowstone Park under Neither has good eyesight, and they 26 depend on hearing to detect danger. with ease from a safe distance. Calves are born in April or May, Still adhering to this form of de- and are cared for by both parents. fense, musk oxen need complete Twins and albinos are rare, though protection in the land where their three albinos were born on the Big ancestors roamed. Delta Range. None of these white Reindee r—Although tremen- buffaloes is alive today. dously important as a food source Musk ox—Whalers and traders for the Eskimos, reindeer are not exterminated the musk ox in Alaska classed as wildlife because they are nearly a century ago. But today a semidomesticated. These relatives small herd maintains itself on of the caribou are not native to Nunivak Island, a national wild- Alaska, but were brought in from life refuge in Bering Sea. This Siberia : 1,280 were imported be- herd, numbering 76 in 1951, was es- tween 1891 and 1902. For some tablished with a nucleus of 34 years food and other conditions brought in from Greenland in 1930. were favorable, and by 1936 the One-time associate of the woolly reindeer increased to 600,000, but mammoth, the musk ox is built and there are only about 20,000 now. upholstered for a glacial climate : This drastic decline is attributed a deep, dense, wool undercoat is to depletion of winter ranges, in- overlaid by very long, coarse, flow- crease of depredation by wolves, ing hairs that almost touch the poor herding and management ground. This brownish-black coat practices, excessive butchering, and protects against snow, rain, and loss from mixing with migratory cold. caribou herds. The sexes look alike, with broad Reindeer in Alaska are under the flat hollow horns that are perma- jurisdiction of the Alaska Native nent. The musk ox uses horns, Service, and purchase of live rein- hooves, and nose to get at its food deer for export must be approved in beneath the crusted snow. It writing by that agency. By law, browses on dwarf willows, mosses, only natives may own them. This lichens, and other Alpine plants. animal might again become im- When fighting, the animal gives off portant in the economy of north- a very noticeable odor from a small, western Alaska if its numbers could musk-filled gland below each eye, be increased. hence its name. Herds are distributed over the To defend themselves, musk oxen tundra from St. Michael on the form a circle, with the calves inside. south shore of Norton Sound to Effective against wild predators, Barrow on the Arctic Ocean. There this ancient battle formation made are herds on the Pribilofs, and on the animals easy targets for rifle Nunivak, St. Lawrence, Kodiak, hunters, who could pick them off Atka, and Umnak.

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0 C _E A 2NT $145,000,000, exclusive of the Pribi- FUR ANIMALS lof fur-seal pelts with a raw value of about $90,000,000. Probably 15,000 natives depend Since the dawn of history, Alas- on the fur industry and share in kans have lived by trapping. the average annual return of about Twenty-odd varieties of land fur $2,500,000 from the sale of pelts. animals are the basis for most of Large quantities of furs are used the income of hundreds of In- also for garments and bedding. dians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and other Mink—The value of the annual trappers. harvest of mink pelts exceeds that The bulk of the furs brought into of any other fur animal. The mink various trading posts each year is is widely distributed south of the bought up by professional fur Brooks Range, in areas having buyers, who travel regular routes plenty of fish and shellfish. It is over Alaska in the interest of the found both in wooded and tundra big eastern fur houses. Neither areas, and is semiaquatic, living the tourist nor any other newcomer along the margins of streams and to Alaska should expect to buy pelts lakes. It is especially numerous in at bargain prices. Usually, pelts southeastern Alaska, but thins out left after the buyers have made inland where the weather is colder their choice will be "irregulars." and the food scarcer. Alaskan fur revenues make the business third among industries based on natural resources—only fishing and mining exceed it. During the 83 years of Russian oc- cupancy (1784-1867), furs worth $45„000,000 were shipped to the mother country. Since its purchase by the United States, Alaska has exported furs valued at more than MARTEN

Wild mink vary in color from light brown to deep blackish brown. The best prices are paid for the larger and darker pelts. Away from the coast the fur is of high quality, color, and durability, but on the coastal islands it is more var- iable. Mink trapping is a vital MINK part of the economy of inland 30

Alaska, and whole communities are dependent for their livelihood on the sale of mink pelts. Fur farm- ing has been successful in areas where fish are abundant. Alaska consistently exports about 40,000 mink pelts annually. Marten—The marten is found in forested areas from Southeastern Alaska north to the limit of conif- erous trees. One of the most beau-

and have been known to cover 25 miles in a single night. Their food consists of squirrels, mice, hares, small birds, birds' eggs, and berries in season. They are easily trapped, as they have no fear of traps and are very inquisitive. They can be attracted readily by a few feathers, a bright object, or an enticing scent. OTTER Fur farming has not been commer- cially successful, although martens have been reared in pens at the De- tiful and graceful of the forest partment of Agriculture Experi- animals, it weighs from 5 to 6 mental Fur Farm at Petersburg. pounds, and measures nearly 2 feet Land otter—Semiaquatic and in body length. Beneath outer fur rather solitary, the land otter is ranging from rich brown to light plentiful in Southeastern Alaska red or gray, depending on environ- and on the Alaska Peninsula, and ment, is a soft and thick underfur. less common northward to the Martens make their homes in Brooks Range. hollow logs, in holes, and among Its coat is a rich, dark brown, and rocks. One to eight young are born makes one of the most durable and in March or April in an annual lit- valuable of furs. Southeastern ter. After a period of nurturing pelts are noted for their size, color, and schooling, they are forced to and quality, with No. 1 skins bring- take up their separate lives at the ing from 10 to 50 dollars. In addi- approach of winter. From then on, tion to having an economically they are among the most solitary of valuable coat, the otter is an enter- animals, except for a brief mat- taining animal. Its favorite sport ing season in July and August. is sliding down a stream bank into These strictly nocturnal and elu- the water—belly-whoppers like sive animals are great travelers, small boys on toboggans. If caught 31 when young, otters make affection- proof. The wolverine inhabits ate and gentle pets. mountainous timbered areas, in- Weasels—Weasels range over all cluding the Alaska Peninsula. Its of Alaska except the islands west population remains constant be- of Umnak in the Aleutian chain. cause trapping is difficult. During the summer the fur of this Muskrat—The muskrat is found slender animal is light brown, but from Southeastern Alaska north to in winter it becomes white, except Kotzebue Sound. Its foods are for the tip of the tail which stays sedges, horsetails, pondweeds, mus- black as jet. Although essentially sels, and even small fishes. Its a ground-dwelling animal, the predators are legion, coming from weasel is a fair climber, and is often land, air, and water, with the mink seen in the lower branches of trees. its arch enemy. Biggest cause of Small birds and mammals are the muskrat loss in Alaska is deep icing normal foods of this inquisitive, of shallow ponds, which kills tens bold, and bloodthirsty little animal of thousands in a single hard which in its smaller Alaskan form winter. Fall and early winter is the world's littlest carnivore. trapping is used to gather pelts that Wolverine—A gluttonous killer would otherwise be wasted by and the largest member of the winter freeze-outs. The take of weasel family, the wolverine is said muskrat pelts has been quite uni- to attack anything but bears and form, about 144,000 skins each year, men. This solitary animal looks and represents an income of about like a small bear and measures from $216,000. 3 to 4 feet in length. Wolverines are cabin invaders and despoilers, and are notorious trap-line robbers. The fur, of little commercial value, is generally used by Eskimos to trim the hoods of their parkas because it is frost-

BEAVER MUSKRAT

Beaver—The beaver is found over most of the Interior from Brooks Range south to the base of the Alaska Peninsula. A few occur in the Southeastern mainland, and on some of the larger islands, espe- WOLVERINE cially Prince of Wales. Monogamy is the rule for 32 Red White Black Cross Blue

FOXES beavers. Litters of from 2 to 5 are foxes are darker in the more heav- produced in June, and the young ily timbered areas, and lighter in animals are cared for by the par- open, coastal localities. Arctic ents until the second year. The foxes range from the Aleutian beaver is a vegetarian, and eats Islands north along the coast line bark, aquatic plants, berry canes, to the Arctic. The white phase oc- buds, and leaves. A beaver colony cupies a narrow coastal strip from has to have an ample supply of the Kuskokwim River north to aspens, cottonwoods, or willows for Point Barrow, and eastward along food, and a site where water does the Arctic shore line. In winter not freeze to the bottom. they are silky and snowy white Alaska's beaver pelts come prin- with a black-tipped tail. In sum- cipally from the Anchorage-Su- mer they become slate-colored. sitna-Matanuska region, the Fair- The blue-coated fox is found mostly banks trade area, and also the Minto in the Aleutians and the Pribilofs. Lakes section. The annual take of Lemmings, mice, hares, grouse, beaver nas increased generally over ptarmigan, and waterfowl are f a- the last few years and now averages vorite foods. Beach fleas are eaten about 20,000 skins valued at when other food is scarce. Lynx, $300,000. wolves, and bears are the principal Foxes—There are two distinct predators. species and five color variations of Wolves occur everywhere from Alaska's foxes. Beautiful red foxes the islands of Southeastern Alaska inhabit the entire mainland, and to the Arctic coast, and as far west Unimak, Umnak, and several other on the Alaska Peninsula as Unimak islands in the Aleutian chain. The Island. Wolves prey on the valu- 33

WOLF COYOTE

able big-game animals, except brush wolf was not present in Alas- bears, and have contributed to ka until about the turn of the cen- the great decline of the reindeer tury. It entered Alaska through herds. Predation on caribou is the Yukon Territory of Canada. severe, and a heavy toll is exacted There are a few on the mainland as( the wolves follow migrating of Southeastern Alaska, and they herds throughout the year. have spread all through the In- Wolves usually run in family terior. They are most abundant in groups of from three to eight, the Matanuska and Copper River though larger groups are sometimes Valleys and on Kenai Peninsula. reported. In color they are all Coyotes destroy mountain sheep, shades and combinations from black to white, with darker wolves more common in Southeastern Alaska, and lighter ones in the Arctic. Though they are seldom seen, the presence of wolves can be detected from their large dog-like tracks along beaches and river bars. Be- cause wolves are predators, there is a bounty on them, and the Fish and Wildlife Service through its Branch of Predator and Rodent Control carries out control measures. Coyote—The coyote (its name is from an Aztec word coyotl) or LYNX 34

ground-nesting game birds, and The catch of predaceous fur ani- occasionally domestic fowls and mals rises and falls with the cyclic farm animals. There is a bounty abundance of small rodents on on this predator, and the Fish and which they prey. Signs of field Wildlife Service has a coyote-con- mice and lemmings, tree squirrels, trol program. and snowshoe hares in spring and Lynx—The shy lynx is the only summer have proved a reliable basis wild member of the cat family in for forecasting the catch of lynx, Alaska. It looks like an out-size marten, and fox. tabby cat, and its exceptionally soft Like grouse and ptarmigan, many fur is light gray, streaked with of the rodent species go through brown. The lynx is found rather more or less regular population generally throughout the timbered cycles which at times bring them valleys of interior Alaska, and is near the vanishing point. Low pe- fairly numerous along the Copper riods are often preceded by striking River and on Kenai Peninsula. Al- migrations, of which the lemming though its staff of life is the snow- marches have attracted the most shoe hare, the lynx preys heavily attention. on grouse and ptarmigan, song- These unaccountable marches fol- birds, and rodents. Abundance low periods in which lemming varies with the cycles of snowshoe populations reach a peak. The hares. little animals start westward, fol- Other fur animals—Marmots, lowed by predators of all sorts. ground squirrels, tree squirrels, Those that survive predation con- Arctic hares, and snowshoe hares tinue their march out onto the ice are relatively unimportant so far as floes and even swim from one floe the dollar value of their pelts is to another until at last they drown. concerned. About $500 worth find their way to the markets each year. But these small species are an im- SEA MAMMALS portant source of food for other ani- In the waters about Alaska live mals and are used locally for human a surprising number and variety of food and clothing. sea mammals. Some, like the fur seal, are of great economic value; others, like the playful porpoise, are merely interesting. And there are many whales—most massive mammals of all time. Sea otter—Most often talked about is the sea otter, whose fur is unmatched in fineness, density, durability, and beauty. The sea otter's coat was responsible for its near extermination. Its gentle and trusting nature made it easy prey LEMMINGS for the Russian fur hunters, or 35 SEA LIONS WALRUS BEARDED SEAL FUR SEALS HARBOR SEAL SEA OTTERS RING SEAL RIBBON SEAL prom,ysklenniki, who slaughtered the mother country by the Russians sea otters by the thousands. in a 2-year period. Slaughter of It has been estimated that 150,000 the sea otter did not stop even after sea-otter pelts were carried back to Alaska was ours. Adventurers of 36 various nationalities continued morsel of food or because of ha- taking them. Finally, in 1911, all bitual cleanliness. killing was prohibited. This gave Sea otter8 may not be taken tender a chance for the remnant of the any circumstances. once-abundant sea-otter herd to re- Alaska fur seal—From its establish itself in the Aleutian oceanic wintering grounds, the Islands area. world's largest and most valuable Sea otters lead a community fur-seal herd returns to the Pribilof existence. They live in a unit Islands every summer. Once nearly known as a pod, and stay very much exterminated by fur hunters, this in one locality. Most of their life herd is now approaching its peak is spent on the ocean's surface under the management of the Fish where they feed, rest, play, and rear and Wildlife Service, whose success young. The young are born ashore, with the seals is an outstanding ex- and births occur at any time ample of conservation in action. throughout the year. Sea-otter In 1941, Japan abrogated the fur- pups are taken care of solely by seal convention of 1911. In 1942, their mother. Males take no in- we made a provisional agreement terest in the young, but frolic to- with Canada for the protection of gether in the kelp beds, which all these seals, the only fur-coated seal sea otters frequent because the in Alaska waters. Under this thickly growing fronds afford pro- agreement, 20 percent of the seal- tection from killer whales, their skins, taken primarily from the 3- only enemy at sea. year-old bachelors, goes to Canada, Sea otters weigh, from 70 to 90 and 80 percent to the United States. pounds, are about 4 feet long, and During the past 10 years, the United have a thick tail a foot long. Their States has netted some $1,500,000 a fur is a rich dark brown or black, year on its share of the 65,000 pelts lustered with gold or silver. Their taken annually. white-whiskered faces appear tooth- This seal which puts so much less and make them look like quiz- money into Uncle Sam's pocket has zical old men—the reason for their its own particular range, and nickname "old man of the sea." But doesn't to any great extent associ- sea otters do have teeth, and in com- ate with other species of seals. It mon with man have toothaches. comes ashore only in summer to Cavities are frequent. Part of this breed and rear its young. It spends trouble may be the result of break- the rest of the year at sea. Return- ing open hard shells with their teeth. ing from this watery winter resort, The sea urchin is the principal item adult males reach the Pribilofs of diet, with mussels next. Rock about the first of May; adult fe- oysters, scallops, sculpins, chitons, males and older bachelors arrive snails, limpets, flounders, and crabs principally in June and July; 2- are all eaten in their entirety. After year-olds get there in July. One eating, sea otters delicately lick reason for this staggered arrival is their paws, either to savor the last that the adult males winter nearest 37 the Pribilofs while the females go yellowish gray coat. The ringed the farthest south. seal has small yellowish rings or Soon after the arrival of the patches on its coat, and is like the cows on the islands, the jet-black, harbor seal in build and size. It blue-eyed seal pups are born. Each is the common seal of the Arctic. mother seal knows instinctively The dark-brown ribbon seal has which pup is her own, and will have yellowish streaks around its neck, nothing to do with an orphan, forelegs, and rump. It lives along which will die. the shores of Bering Sea, and little Once the future of the herd has is known of its habits. The been assured and the seal pups have bearded seal gets its name from a learned to swim and forage for tuft of white bristles down each themselves, the seals of the Pribilof side of its muzzle. Not very nu- Islands leave for their winter stay merous, ct lives in Arctic waters. at sea. Seals have long been the staff of The Alaska fur seal is an eared life for the Eskimos of the far seal, medium-sized, with thick and North. silky fur. Upper parts are black, Sea lions—Sea lions are common shoulders and neck gray, under- along the Aleutian chain, on the parts reddish brown. When swim- Barren Islands, in Prince William ming, he carries his head high out Sound, and on some of the South- of the water. His upper lip has eastern islands. Sea lions prefer a yellowish white and gray mus- quiet inlets and bays, particularly tache of long stiff bristles. Males during the winter season, where average about 6 feet in length, and they are sheltered from the rough weigh from 300 to 500 pounds, seas. Males are usually twice as though some may tip the scales at large as females, and often measure 700. Females are a good deal more than 10 feet and weigh as smaller and have gray fur over the much as a ton. Their hides have no back. When on land the fur seal commercial use, and even the na- is the most active of the seals. tives no longer hunt them. Aleuts, Eskimos, and Indians are Walrus—Called valross or whale permitted to take fur seals by pe- horse by old Norse sailors, this un- lagic sealing (killing at sea) . No gainly mammal summers in the Arc- one else may hunt them. tic Ocean and winters in Bering Other seals—Other species of Sea. The law now prohibits the seals in Alaska's waters are the Pa- killing of walruses in Alaska, except cific harbor seal, the ringed seal, by natives for food and clothing or the ribbon seal, and the Pacific by others for emergency food. bearded seal. The first of these, the Killing for ivory alone, even by na- Pacific harbor seal, is the most tives, is not allowed, and ivory can abundant, and is the only hair seal be exported only as finished articles found in southern Alaskan waters. of handicraft. With these restric- This seal is sometimes called the tions, the Pacific walrus, whose leopard seal because of spots on its tusks sometimes measure 39 inches, 38

should be plentiful for years to travel in packs and prey on all come. warm-blooded sea animals, which Whales—Many of the world's are terrorized by them. Hair seals, whales, which once roamed all for instance, will leave open water oceans by the millions, are still and swim frantically toward the fairly common in Alaska's waters. beach at the approach of a pack of There are two kinds of whales, the killers. toothed whales and the "whalebone" These four species are only a few or baleen whales, which are tooth- of the whales that visit Alaskan less. waters. Whales are usually more The blue whale, a toothless than 30 feet long—exceptions are species, is the largest mammal that the pygmy sperm whale, the Beluga, has ever lived. It frequents the the dolphins, and the porpoises. polar ice pack of both hemispheres You can learn to tell the kind of in summertime. These marine whale by its spout: a slanting for- mammoths grow to almost unbeliev- ward spout means that a sperm has able sizes, the females reaching surfaced; a short, broad, straight greater lengths than the males. spout denotes a humpback; a high, Three females taken in the Antarc- slender one is the sign of a finback. tic measured 100 feet. Another blue Incidentally, a whale doesn't whale measured 89 feet, and spout water. Upon surfacing from weighed nearly 120 tons. How a deep dive, it exhales violently, much such a behemoth can eat is a and the warm moisture-laden matter of speculation as just an breath condenses. This condensa- ordinary-sized whale can eat a ton tion can be seen for several miles, of sardines for its morning meal. and can be heard a mile away on Another toothless species, the calm days. Spouts in Alaska bowhead or arctic whale is a stable waters will hold together as a cloud item for Sea Eskimos from St. Law- for several minutes in cold air. rence to Point Barrow. (Every World War II temporarily in- part of the whale is used, even the creased the chances of whales sur- jawbone which acts as a grave- viving, since little whaling was marker). The bowhead is recover- done. So for the time being there ing from decimation by whalers, is still a chance to see a whale spout. and there are appreciable numbers in the North Bering Sea and the adjacent Arctic Ocean. Largest of the toothed whales is the sperm whale. Uniformly gray, or dark bluish gray, it is one of the most widely distributed of all the MIGRATORY WATERFOWL whales. Old males summer in Bering Sea, while cows and calves Alaska plays an important part stay in tropical waters. in maintaining the continental sup- Killer whales, a toothed species, ply of migratory waterfowl. Vast 39 WATERFOWL (from left): Black Brant, Western Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Pintail Ducks, Emperor Geese.

expanses of tundra, muskeg, and water. The tree-nesting American river bottom are dotted with count- goldeneye is also abundant, and less potholes, lakelets, and sloughs nests in the large, dead cottonwoods that provide nesting sites for a lining the rivers. Further north, great variety of birds. Ducks, along the Seward Peninsula and geese, swans, and other shore and Arctic slope, the coastal tundra and water birds are all familiar summer pothole areas provide nesting habi- residents. From the Arctic coast tat for lesser snow geese and for to the tip of the Aleutian chain and four species of eider ducks, as well extreme Southeastern Alaska, each as for other widely distributed species is able to find nesting habi- species of waterfowl. tat to its liking. Although many of In central and northern Alaska, these nesting areas do not individ- the first waterfowl arrive in April ually support large concentrations or May and often start nesting be- of waterfowl, they combine to pro- fore the ice has left the rivers. duce a huge annual crop of birds. The next 3 months are a busy and The most outstanding single clamorous period as the young nesting area is the coastal tundra birds mature. Some fall victim to between the Yukon and Kusko- marauding sea gulls, jaegers, and kwim Rivers. Here, in addition to various other predators, including other species of ducks and geese, is gigantic pike. By August and Sep- found an unusually large number tember the birds are again on their of nesting black brant and cackling way south, their numbers multi- geese. Further inland, along the plied by the new generation. great river bottoms, pintails, bald- Bird-banding records have shown pates, mallards, green-winged teal, that Alaska-raised birds find their white-fronted and lesser Canada way to most of the 48 States and geese, and many others, nest and into Mexico. One great flight path raise their broods on the brush-and- from the north leads through the grass-covered banks of each body of Cold Bay area at the tip of the 40 Alaska Peninsula, where hundreds SHORE AND WATER BIRDS of thousands of pintails, black The multitude of shore and water brant, cackling geese, and others birds that swarm into Alaska for concentrate before making the long the summer are more spectacular hop to the Pacific Coast States. and characteristic of Alaska's These birds, together with lesser northern breeding grounds than the Canada geese and other species waterfowl. The largest of these is from elsewhere in Alaska, are the the lesser sandhill crane. Others waterfowl that provide most of the are the abundant Wilson's snipe, sport for Pacific-coast hunters. yellowlegs, willets, dowitchers, At the same time, many of the phalaropes, sandpipers, loons, and ducks and geese from the northern grebes. Some of these cover great part of Alaska migrate east to distances to reach their Alaskan Maryland and as far south as nesting grounds. The Pacific god- Louisiana. wit winters as far south as Aus- Alaska is not entirely deserted tralia, the golden plover in New Zealand, and the bristle-thighed during the winter. Thousands of curlew in Tahiti. scoters, eiders, scaup, and other sea ducks winter in sheltered bays from SEA BIRDS the Aleutians through Prince Wil- Literally millions of sea birds fre- liam Sound to the Panhandle. quent the rocky islands and rugged Many mallards and a few other headlands of Alaska each summer pond ducks and geese remain in to rear their young. Flocks of Southeastern Alaska during win- murres, anklets, kittiwakes, guille- ter. Alaska's "own" goose, the mots, puffins, petrels, albatrosses, emperor, rarely strays beyond the fulmars, and shearwaters fill the country's borders. This medium- seascape with abundant life. sized, bluish, sea-going goose win- ters up and down the Aleutian UPLAND GAME BIRDS chain and Alaska Peninsula and Alaska's native game birds offer nests in the Yukon-Kuskokwim re- excellent shooting. So far, bird gion and along the north coast of shooting has been incidental to Seward Peninsula. other types of hunting, but to the The largest species of waterfowl explorer, prospector, or trapper, in North America, the trumpeter grouse and ptarmigan are impor- swan, once on the verge of extinc- tant food. They are fine-flavored, tion and still alarmingly rare, has especially in early fall when berries been found wintering in southeast- and various seeds are the main diet. ern Alaska, and recently two were Ptarmigan may be seen in flocks reported on Cook Inlet. The of several hundreds. Grouse are smaller whistling swan has always seen in family-sized groups. Ptar- been found thinly scattered over migan hunting with a small-bore the northern nesting regions. shotgun is much like quail hunting, 41 and calls for fast and accurate shooting. Ptarmigan—Largest of the ptar- migan and most widely distributed of Alaska's game birds is the wil- low ptarmigan, found from the arctic tundra to Southeastern Alaska. In winter, these birds are almost pure white, with the excep- tion of the black tail feathers. Rock ptarmigan, usually smaller than the willow, are found at higher elevations. They may be distinguished from the willow by a black line from the bill to the eye. White-tailed ptarmigan, smallest of the group, are found around Mount McKinley, Cook Inlet, and Glacier Bay. They inhabit the high peaks and are rarely seen at low elevations. These birds are en- tirely white in winter, without the black tail feathers of the rock and willow ptarmigan. Grouse—The blue grouse, some- times called sooty grouse, dusky grouse, or hooter, is Alaska's larg- est upland game bird, weighing as much as 31/2 pounds. It is dis- tributed throughout Southeastern Alaska from Glacier Bay to British Columbia, and may be identified by its large size and dark grayish color. Franklin's grouse, smaller and darker than the blue grouse, is in Southeastern Alaska from Prince of Wales Island southward. GROUSE (from top): The spruce grouse ranges widely Blue, Sooty, Franklin's, Ruffed, and Sharp- from Kenai Peninsula north to the tailed Grouse; Rock and Willow Ptarmi- Yukon River drainages and east to kart. Below: White-tailed Ptarmip,an. the border. The ruffed grouse is in the Yukon and Kuskokwim drain- ages in the Interior, and in the Taku and Stikine drainages in South- eastern Alaska. The sharp-tailed 42 grouse is found throughout central or dipper, is a common sight along Alaska from the north fork of the the mountain streams. Among the Kuskokwim to the eastern border. larger distinctive birds are the mag- pie, the Alaska jay, and the darker- BIRDS OF PREY blue Steller's jay, the northern shrike, and the kingfisher. The Eagles, hawks, and owls—Larg- northern raven and the northwest est and most conspicuous of crow are common scavengers about Alaska's birds of prey is the bald the villages. eagle, common along the rugged Several kinds of birds migrate to coast line. The golden eagle in- Alaska from Asia by way of the habits the inland mountains. Fre- Aleutian Islands and Bering Strait. quenters of the northern tundra are In April or May, the first passerine, the short-eared owl, the snowy owl, or bird of perching habits, to return the peregrine falcon, the gyrfalcon, to interior Alaska from the south and the rough-legged hawk. The is the beautiful brown and white mountains, foothills, and forested snow bunting. The friendly long- regions are the homes of the great spur arrives soon after, and then gray owl, the horned owl, Richard- comes a winged host of swallows, son's owl, the pygmy owl, and the robins, shy hermit and varied screech owl. In much of the same thrushes, tiny kinglets, varicolored range live the sparrow hawk, the pigeon hawk, Swainson's hawk, and warblers, many kinds of sparrows, the osprey. flycatchers, dippers, and loud- mouthed kingfishers. SONG BIRDS Energized by continuous day- light, the short breeding season in Although Alaska has few song the Arctic region is marked by con- birds in winter, summer brings stant watching and incessant scold- great numbers from both the east- ing in defense of nest and young. ern and western United States. In southeastern Ala sk a, warm Willow, alder, and bog birch pro- ocean currents sweep against the vide habitat at the northern limits of the breeding range for many coast and moderate the climate, kinds. Most common of the song making vegetation almost subtrop- birds is the robin. Other common ical and creating ideal homes for birds are thrushes, warblers, spar- certain song birds. "When summer rows, swallows, wrens, kinglets, ends, the adult birds and their crossbills, chickadees, flycatchers, young begin their southward mi- finches, juncos, redpolls, waxwings, gration, leaving behind the year- woodpeckers, hummingbirds, snow round residents—jays, ravens, buntings, longspurs, pine gros- woodpeckers, pine grosbeaks, chick- beaks, blackbirds, pipits, and sis- adees, siskins, waxwings, and red- kins. The sprightly water ouzel, polls.

43

MANAGEMENT OF ALASKA'S WILDLIFE

Fish and wildlife have always matters as restocking game lands, been and will continue to be very introducing new species, control- important in Alaska. These re- ling predators, and research. Gen- sources, offering employment and eral administration and enforce- enjoyment to thousands, must be ment of the Alaska Game Law is protected and managed carefully. largely the responsibility of the The Alaska Game Law was Fish and Wildlife Service. enacted by Congress in 1925, for This administrative arrange- managing Alaska's wildlife re- ment has been satisfactory, and the sources. Under this law, as untiring efforts of the Alaska Game amended, the Secretary of the In- Commission have helped bring terior appoints an Alaska game about a wholesome respect for the commission of five members. Four game laws and widespread cooper- of the members—one from each ju- ation in law enforcement from the dicial district—must be represen- residents. tative residents of Alaska, not Fifteen national wildlife refuges employed by the Federal Govern- in Alaska provide special protection - ment. The fifth member is the Re- for sea otter, bear, moose, sea birds, gional Director in Alaska of the and waterfowl. Some of the more Fish and Wildlife Service, and is famous include the Aleutian Is- Executive Officer of the Commis- lands National Wildlife Refuge, sion. the Kodiak National Wildlife Re- Upon consultation with or rec- fuge, and the Kenai National Wild- ommendation from the Commis- life Refuge. Refuges for ducks and sion, the Secretary of the Interior geese are being established at Cold may issue regulations governing the Bay and on the Yukon Delta, sup- taking, possessing, and transport- ply sources for the Pacific flyway. ing of game animals, fur animals, Besides . the national wildlife game birds, and game fishes in refuges, a number of local areas are Alaska. The Commission meets closed to hunting or trapping. annually to propose hunting sea- These closures provide a flexible sons, bag limits, game and fur dis- means of management where hunt- tricts, and wildlife sanctuaries, to ing or trapping pressure has be- plan regulatory work to be carried come too heavy or where a species out under the Executive Officer, requires special protection. Alaska and to recommend action on such game regulations for the current 44 year should be consulted for open Carefully considered trapping hunting and trapping areas and regulations control the methods, seasons. seasons, and numbers of fur ani- As hunting and fishing increased, mals that may be taken. In the mitations of seasons and bags were li case of beaver, for instance, a con- necessarily applied to maintain an adequate supply of wildlife. It has trol system is in effect. It is used been necessary in recent years to to detect pelts taken out of season. limit the take of game in certain A seal is placed on the pelt which areas by means of controlled hunts, shows that it has been legally taken and the export of game animals and and may be legally transported birds is now regulated by permit. within or exported from Alaska.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

Federal conservation regulations must be accompanied by a licensed, have required nonresident hunting, registered guide when hunting big trapping, and fur dealer's licenses game or going afield to photograph since the enactment of the Alaska brown or grizzly bears. Game Law in 1925. In 1936 it be- Guides are high-class outdoors- came necessary to require resident men of proved ability to arrange hunting licenses. Resident, non- hunting parties, conduct hunters in resident, and alien sport-fishing li- the field, select the best trophies, censes were added in 1942. Fees and prepare and care for them 1,m- for licenses (1953) are as follows : der field conditions. Resident : Current copies of the Alaska Trapping, hunting, and fish- Game Law and Regulations and a ing ------$3 list of registered guides can be ob- Hunting and fishing ------2 tained by writing to the Fish and Resident fishing ------1 Nonresident : Wildlife Service, Juneau, Alaska. General hunting ------50 Copies may also be obtained by call- Small game ------10 ing at the Service office in any of Sport fishing_ - - 2. 50 the following towns : Alien : Special (hunting, trapping, and Anchorage King Salmon possession of firearms) - - - 100. Cold Bay Kodiak Sport fishing ------2. 50 Cordova Marshall A migratory waterfowl hunting Craig McGrath stamp ($2) is required of persons Dillingham Palmer 16 years of age or over for hunting Fairbanks Petersburg ducks, geese, and brant ; and a local Juneau Seward stamp ($1) for sport fishing is re- Kenai Sitka quired. Nonresidents and aliens Ketchikan Wrangell

45 LISTS OF ALASKA'S FISH AND WILDLIFE Here are fairly representative lists of Alaska's fishes, mammals, and birds, plus a list of shrubs and trees important to wildlife.

SOME OF ALASKA'S BETTER KNOWN FISHES

The fishes listed here are the ones the average angler might find on the end of his line. We have not tried t o list all the known fishes of Alaska.

Atka mackerel ( Pleurogrammus monop- Salmon : terygius) Chum or dog salmon ( Oncorhynchus Blackfish : Alaska blackfish ( Dallia pee- keta) toralis) King or chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus Blenny (family Blenniidae, many tshawytscha) species) Pink or humpback salmon ( Oncorhyn- Burbot ( Lota maculosa) chus gorbuscha) Capelin ( Mallotus catervarius) Red or sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus Cod : nerka) Lingcod ( Ophiodon elangatus) Silver or coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) kisutch) Eulachon or candlefish ( Thaleichthys Sculpin (family Cottidae, many species) pacificus) Sharks (many species) Flounder (family Pleuronectidae, many Skate ( Raja, various species) species) Smelt ( Hypornesus pretiosus and others) Grayfish or dogfish (Sgualus svekleyi) Stickleback (family Gasterosteidae, Grayling: Alaska grayling ( Thyrnalus many species) signifer) Sturgeon: White sturgeon ( Acipenser Greenling ( Hezagrammos, 4 species) transmontanus) Halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolegis) Toadfish ( Porichthys notatus) Herring ( Clupea pallasi) Tomcod ( Microgadus proximus) "Hooliga n." See Eulachon Trout : Inconnu, cheefish, or sheefish (Stenodus Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarkii) mackenzii) Dolly Varden trout (Salvelinus malma) Lamprey ( Entosphenus tridentatus) Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontin- Pike: Northern pike ( Esoz lucius) alis) Pipetish (Syngnathus griseolineatus) Lake or Mackinaw trout (Salvelinus Pollack : Alaska pollack ( Theragra chal- [=Cristivomer] namaycush) cogramma) Rainbow or steelhead trout ( Salta° Raffish ( Hyrolagus eolliei) gairdneri) Rockfish (Sebastodes, about 20 species) Whitefish (family Soregonidae, many Sableflsh or black cod ( Anoplopoma lim- species) bria) Wolfish ( Anarrhiethys ocellatus) 46 THE MORE COMMON SHELLFISH

Clams : Scallops : Butter clam (Saxidomus giganteus) Bay scallop ( Pecten hindsii) Cockle ( Cardium corbis) Giant scallop ( Pecten cuarinus) Littleneck clam ( Paphia staminea) Rock scallop or rock oyster ( Hinnites Razor clam (Siliqua patula) giganteus) Shrimps : Crabs : Coon stripe shrimp (Pandalus hypsino- Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) tits) King crab ( Paralithodes camtschatica) Humpy shrimp ( Pandalus goniurus) Tanner crab ( Chionoectes opilio) Pink shrimp ( Pandalus borealis) Sidestripe shrimp ( Pandalopsis dis- Oysters : Pacific oyster ( Crassotrea par) gigas) Spot shrimp ( Pandalus platyeeros)

MAMMALS OF ALASKA, LAND AND MARINE

This is a reasonably comprehensive , though not complete, list of land and marine mammals of Alaska.

Bat : Alaska little brown bat ( Myotis Foxes :

lucifugua) Arctic, white, or blue fox ( Alopex Bears : lagopus) Black bear (Buarctos species), in- Red, cross, or silver fox ( Vulpes cludes Glacier bear, or so-called fulva) blue bear (Buaretag emmonsii) Goat : Alaska mountain goat (Oreamnag kennedyi) Brown bear (Ursus species), includes Hares : Kodiak bear ( Ursus middendorffl) Alaska hare ( Lepus othus) Grizzly bear ( Ursus species ), in- Varying hare ( Lepus americanus) cludes Toklat grizzly bear (Ursus Lemmings : toklat) Brown lemming ( Lemmas trimucrona- Polar bear ( Thalarctos maritimus) tus) Beaver ( Castor canadensis) Collared lemming ( Dicrostonyx groen- Bison : American bison, or buffalo (Bison tan dims) bison) introduced in 1928 Lynx : Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis) Caribou ( Rangifer arcticus) Marmot : Hoary marmot (Marmota cali- Cony. See Pika. gata) Coyote : Northern coyote ( Canus kit- Marten ( Martes americana) runs), a newcomer to Alaska at the Mice : turn of the century, following Yukon House mouse ( Mug musculus) Gold Rush. Jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsanius) Deer : Sitka black-tailed deer ( Odocoil- Lemming mouse (Synaptomys borealis) eus hemionus) Meadow mouse : several species be- Dolphin : Right-whale dolphin ( Lissodel- longing to genus Microt us phis borealis) Red-backed mouse : two species, (Cle- elk : American elk, or wapiti ,( Cervus thrionomys rutilus and Clethriono- canadensis) introduced in 1928 mys gapperi) 47 Mice—Continued Sheep : Alaska sheep (Ovix dalli) White-footed mouse ( Peromyscus matt- Squirrels : iculatus) Alaska red squirrel ( Tan/Madura* Mink : Alaska mink ( Mustela vison) hudsonicus) Moose : Alaska moose ( Aires alces) Flying squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus) Muskox ( Oribos moschatus) extermi Ground squirrel ( Citellus parryii) nated, then reestablished in 1930 Walrus : Pacific walrus ( Odobenus diver- Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) gens) Otters: Wapiti. See Elk River otter ( Lutra canadensis) Weasels : Sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) Ermine ( Mustela erminea) Pika : Collared pika (Ochotena collaris) Least weasel ( Muatela rixosa) Porcupine : Alaska porcupine ( Erithizon Whales : dorsatum) Blue or sulphur bottom whale (litibbal- Porpoises : dui; musculus) Dall's porpoise ( Phocoenoides dalli) Bottlenose whale ( Berardius bairdii) Pacific harbor porpoise ( Phocoena Bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus) phocoena) Finback whale ( Balaenoptera physa- Rats : lug) House rat ( Banns rattus) Gray whale ( Rhachianectes glaucus) Norway rat (Beaus norregicus) Humpback whale ( Megaptera nodose) Bushy-tailed wood rat (Neotoma oin- Little piked whale ( Balaenoptera aou- erea) torostrata) Sea lion : Northern sea lion ( Eymetopias Narwhal ( Monodon monocros), rare or jubata) accidental. Seals : Pacific killer whale (Orettius rectipin- ( Callorhinus ursinus) Alaska fur seal na) Pacific bearded seal ( Erigna thus bar- Sei whale ( Balaenoptera borealis) batus) Sperm whale ( Physeter catodon) Pacific harbor seal ( Phoca richardii) Stejneger's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon faactata) Ribbon seal ( Phoca stejnegeri) Ringed seal ( Phoca hispida) White whale or beluga ( Delphinapte- Shrews : rus leucas) Common shrews : several species be- lupus) longing to genus florez. Wolf (Calms Pigmy shrew ( Microsorez hoyi) Woodchuck ( Marmota monax) Water shrew (Serez palustris) Wolverine (Gulo luscus)

48 BIRDS OF ALASKA, MIGRATORY AND RESIDENT

This list of birds includes all species recorded in Alaska. Subspecies and geographic races are included under the species name : for example, the 8 subspecies of song sparrow in Alaska are all embraced in the one entry—song sparrow.

Accentor : Mountain accentor ( Prunella Marbled murrelet ( Brachyranvphus montanella)—two records marmeratus) Albatrosses, Fulmars, Petrels, and Shear- Murres : waters : Common murre ( Uria aalge) Albatrosses : Thick-billed murre (Uria lovvvia) Black-footed albatross (Diomedea Puffins: nigripes) Horned puffin ( Pratereala cornieu- Laysan albatross (Dtiom,edea, invmutab- zata) ibis) Tufted puffin ( Lunda cirrhata) Short-tailed albatross (Diomedea al- Blackbirds : batrus) Brewer's blackbird ( Euphagus cyano- Fulmar: cephalus) Pacific fulmar (Pulmarus glac(alis) Crow blackbird ( Quiscalus guiscula) Petrels : Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) Cook's petrel ( Pterodroma cookii) Red-wing ( Agelaius phoeniceus) Fork-tailed petrel ( Oceamodroma Rusty blackbird ( Euphagus carolinus) furcata) Yellow-headed blackbird (lanthoceph- Leach's petrel ( Oceanodrarna leuoor- alus canthocephalus) hoa) Bittern. See Herons. Scaled petrel ( Pterodroma inexpec- Bluebird. See Thrushes. tata) Bluethroat. See Thrushes. Shearwaters : Buntings, Crossbills, Finches, Grosbeaks, Pink-footed shearwater ( Puffinus ore- Longspurs, and Sparrows : atopus) Buntings : Slender-billed shearwater ( Puffinas Snow bunting ( Plectrophenax ntivalis) tenwitrostris) McKay's bunting ( Plectrophenaa hy- Sooty shearwater ( Puffinus griseus) perboreus) Anklets, Guillemots, Murrelets, Murres, Rustic bunting ( Emberiza rustica )— and Puffins: one record Anklets : Crossbills : Cassin's anklet ( Ptycharamphus aleu- Red crossbill ( Loxia, curvirostra) Hems) White-winged crossbill ( Loxia leueop- Crested anklet ( Aeth-ia eristatella) tera) Dovekie ( Plautus aile)—one record Finches : Least anklet ( Aethia pusilla) Brambling ( F ringilla montifrin- Parakeet anklet (Cyclorrhynchus gilla)—one record psittacula) Bullfinch ( Pyrrhula pyrrhula) Rhinoceros anklet ( Cerorhinca mono- Hoary redpoll ( Acanthis hornemanni) cerata) Hawfinch ( Coccothraustes coccothrau- Whiskered anklet (Aethia pygmaea) Guillemots : stes)—one record Black guillemot (Cepphus gm/to) Common redpoll ( Acanthis flammea) Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) Pine siskin (Spinus pines) Murrelets : Gray-crowned rosy finch ( Leueosticte Ancient murrelet ( Synthliboramphus tephrocotis) antiguus) Grosbeaks : Kittlitz's murrelet ( Brackyramphus Evening grosbeak. (Hesperiphona yes- brevirostris) perttina)

49 Buntings—Continued Curlews, Sandpipers, Snipe, etc.: Pine grosbeak ( Pinicola enucleator) Curlews : Longspurs : Bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius Lapland longspur ( Calearius lapponi- tahitiensis) cus) Eskimo curlew ( Numenius borealis) Smith's longspur ( Calcarius pictus) Long-billed curlew ( Numenius ameri- Sparrows : canus) Chipping sparrow ( Spizella passerine) Whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus) Fox sparrow ( Passerella iliaca) Sandpipers: Golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrich,ia Baird's sandpiper ( Erolia bairdii) atricapilla) Buff-breasted sandpiper ( Tryngitea Lincoln's sparrow (Melospiza Uncolni) subruflcollis) Oregon junco (Junco oreganus) Curlew sandpiper ( Erolia ferruginea) Savannah sparrow (Passeroulus sand- Dowitcher ( Limodromus griseus) wichensis) Dunlin ( Erolia alpine) Slate-colored junco (Junco hyemalis) Eurasian knot ( Calidris canutus) Song sparrow ( Melospiza raelodia) Great knot ( Calidris tenuirostris)— Tree sparrow (Spixella arborea) one record White-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia Greater yellowlegs ( Totanus melan- leucophrys) oleucus) Hudsonian godwit ( Limosa haemas- Chickadees : tica) Black-capped chickadee (Parus atrica- Knot ( Calidris canutus) pillus) Least sandpiper ( Erolia minutilla) Boreal chickadee ( Pants hudscmicus) Lesser yellowlegs ( Totanus flaripes) Chestnut-backed chickadee ( Parus ru- Long-toed stint ( Erolia subminsta)— fescens) one record Gray-headed chickadee ( Parus cinctus) Bar-tailed godwit (Lintosa tapponica) Coot : American coot ( Fulica americana) Marbled godwit ( Limosa fedoa) Cormorants : Pectoral sandpiper ( Erolia melanotos) Brandt's cormorant (Phalacrocorax Polynesian tattler ( Heteroscelus bre- penioillatus) vipes) Double-crested cormorant ( Phalacro- Rock sandpiper ( Erolia, ptilocnemis) ( Philomachus pugnax)—two corax auritus) Ruff records Pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pel- Rufous-necked sandpiper ( Erolia rufi-

agicus) collis) Red-faced cormorant ( Phalacrocorax Sanderling ( Crocethia alba) urile) Semipalmated sandpiper ( Ereunetes Crane: Sandhill crane (Grua canaden- pusillus) iris) Sharp-tailed sandpiper ( Erolia acu- Creeper : Brown creeper (Certhia, fasniU- minata) ari8) Solitary sandpiper ( Tringa solitaria) Crossbills. See Buntings, etc. Spoon-bill sandpiper ( Eurynorhynchus Crows and Jays : pygmeus)—two records Clark's nutcracker ( Nucifraga colum- Spotted sandpiper ( Actitis macularia) Stilt sandpiper ( Micropalama himan- biana) topus) Gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis) Upland plover (Bartramian sandpiper) Magpie ( Pica pica) ( Bartramia longicauda) Northern raven (Corms corax) Wandering tattler ( Heteroscleus in- Northwestern crow (Corvus caurinus) canus) Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) Western sandpiper ( Ereunetes mauri) Cuckoo : Oriental cuckoo ( Cuculus saki- White-rumped sandpiper ( Erolia ratus)—two records colitis)

50 Curlews, Sandpipers, Snipe, etc.—Con. Steller's eider ( Polysticta stelleri) Willet ( Catoptrophorue semipalmatus) Surf scoter ( Melanitta, perspicillata) Snipes : Tufted duck ( Aythya fuligula)—one Jack snipe (Lymnooryptes minimus) record Wilson's common snipe (Capella gal- White-winged scoter ( Melanitta deg- linago) landi) Wood sandpiper ( Tringa glareola) Geese : Dipper : Northern dipper (Cinclus nzexi- Bean goose ( Miser fabalis)—one rec- canus) ord Dotterel. See Plovers, etc. Brant (Brenta bernicla) Dove : Mourning dove (Zenaidura mac- Black brant (Brenta nigricans) roura ) Canada goose ( Branta canadensis) Dovekie. See Anklets, etc. Emperor goose ( Philacte canagica) Dowiteher : See Sandpipers, under cur- Ross's goose (Chen rossii) lews, etc. Snow goose (Chen hyperborea) Dunlin. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, White-fronted goose ( Anser atbifrons) etc. Trumpeter swan (0/or bucoinator) Ducks, Geese, and Swans : Whistling swan ( Olor colvmbianus) Ducks : Whooper swan ( Olor cygnus) —one Aleutian teal (Anas crecca) record Baikal teal ( Anas formosum) Eagles, Hawks, etc. : Baldpate (American widgeon) ( Ma- Eagles : reca americaria) Bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Barrow's goldeneye ( Bucephala island- Golden eagle ( Aquila ehrysaetos) ica) Steller's sea eagle ( Haliaeetus pelagi- Buffiehead ( Bucephala albeola) cus)—two records Canvasback ( Aythya valisineria) White-tailed sea eagle ( Haliaeetus al- Common eider (Somateria mollissia) bicilla) —two records Common goldeneye ( Bucephala clangu- Falcons : la) Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) Common merganser (Mergus mergan- Peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus) ser) Pigeon hawk (Falco columbarius) Common scoter ( Oidemla nigral) Sparrow hawk ( Falco sparverius) European widgeon ( Mareoa penelope) Hawks : Goshawk Falcated teal ( Arias falcata)—one ( Acciipiter gentilis) record Harlan's hawk ( Buteo harlani) Marsh hawk (Circus cyaneus) Gadwall ( Anas strepera) Harlequin duck ( Histrionicus histri- Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) onious) Rough-legged hawk ( Buteo lagopus) ( Hooded merganser ( Lophodytes cucul- Sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter stria- 'atria) t us) Swainson's King eider (Soniateria spectabilis) hawk (Buteo swainsoni) Osprey : Mallard ( Anas platyrhyricos) Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus) Old-squaw ( Clangula hyemalis) Finches. See Buntings, etc. Pintail ( Anas acute) Flickers and Woodpeckers : Poehard ( Aythya ferina)—one record Flickers : Red-breasted merganser (Mergus ser- Red-shafted flicker (Colaptes cater) rator) Yellow-shafted flicker ( Colaptes aura- Redhead ( Aythya americana) tus) Woodpeckers : Ring-necked duck ( Aythya collaris) Black-backed woodpecker ( Pioaides arc- Ruddy duck ( Onettra jamaicensis) tious) Greater scaup ( Aythya manila) Downy woodpecker (Dendrocapos pu- Lesser scaup ( Aythya af/inis) beecens) Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) Hairy woodpecker (Dendrocopos vil- Spectacled eider ( Arctonetta flscheri) losus) 51 Flickers and Woodpeckers—Continued Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glances- Pileated woodpecker ( Drgocopus pi- cens) leatus) Herring gull ( Larus argentatus) Wryneck (Jyrix torquilla)—one record Iceland gull ( Lams leucopterus)—two Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus records Darius) Ivory gull ( Pagophila eburnea) Flycatchers : Mew gull ( Larus canus) Hammond's flycatcher (Empidonaw Ring-billed gull ( Lams delawarensis) hammondii) Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) Kingbird ( Tyrannus tyrannus) Sabine's gull (Xema sabini) Olive-sided flycatcher ( Nuttallornis Slaty-backed gull ( Larus schistisagus) borealis) Western gull ( Larus occidentalis) Say's phoebe ( Sagornis saga) Kittiwakes : Traill's flycatcher ( Empiclonaz Black-legged kittiwake ( Rissa tradac- trailli) tyla) Western wood pewee (Contopus Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa breviros- richardsoni) tris) Terns : Yellow-green flycatcher ( Empidonax Aleutian tern (Sterna aleutica) Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) Fulmar. See Albatrosses, etc. Black tern ( Chlidonias :viper) Godwit. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, etc. Caspian tern ( Hydroprogne caspia)— Geese. See Ducks, etc. one record Grebes : Gyrfalcons. See Eagles, etc. Horned grebe ( Colymbus auritus) Hawks. See Eagles, etc. Pied-billed grebe ( Poditym,bus podi- Herons : ceps) American bittern (Botaarus Red-necked grebe ( Colymbus lentiginosus) grisegena) Great blue heron ( Ardea herodias) Western grebe (Aeohmophorus occi- Hummingbirds: dentalis) Ruby-throated hummingbird ( Archilo. Grosbeaks. See Buntings, etc. ohms colubris) Grouse and Ptarmigan : Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus Grouse : rufus) Blue grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus) Jaegers : Franklin's grouse ( Canachites Long-tailed Jaeger ( Stercararius franklinii) longicaudus) Ruffed grouse ( Bonasa umbellus) Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius Sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioecetes parasiticus) phasiamellus) Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius Spruce grouse ( Canachites canadensis) pomarinus) Ptarmigan: Jays. See Crows, etc. Rock ptarmigan ( Lagopus mutus) Junco. See Sparrows, under Buntings, White-tailed ptarmigan ( Lagopus etc. leumsrus) Killdeer. See Plovers, etc. Willow ptarmigan ( Lagopus lagopus) Kingbird. See Flycatchers, etc. Guillemots. See Anklets, etc. Kingfisher : Belted kingfisher ( Mega- Gulls, Kittiwakes, and Terns : ceryle alcyon) Gulls : Kinglets and Old World Warblers: Black-headed gull ( Lams ridibun- Kinglets : dus)—one record Golden-crowned kinglet ( Regulus Bonaparte's gull ( Larus philadelphia) satrapa) California gull (Larus calif ornicus) Ruby-crowned kinglet ( Regulus Glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) calendula) 52 S Kinglets and Old World Warblers—Con. Red-throated pipit ( Anthus cervi- Old World Warblers : nus)—two records Grasshopper warbler (Locustella ocho- Wagtails : tensis)—one record White wagtail ( Motacilla, alba) Arctic willow warbler ( Acanth,opneuste Yellow wagtail ( Motacilla /Java) borealis) Plovers, Surfbirds, and Turnstones : Kittiwakes. See Gulls, etc. Plover : Knot. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, Black-bellied plover ( Squatarola aqua- etc. tarola) Lapwing. See Plovers, etc. Dotterel ( Eudromias morineltus) Lark : Horned lark ( Otocoris alpestris) American golden plover ( Pluvialis Longspurs. See Buntings, etc. dominica) Loons : Killdeer ( Charadrius vooilerua) Arctic loon (Gavia arctioa) Lapwing ( Vanellus vanellus) Common loon ( Gavia immer) Little-ringed plover ( Charadrius du- Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) bius)—one record Yellow-billed loon (Gavia aclamsii) Mongolian plover ( Charadrius mongo- Magpie. See Crows, etc. lus) Martin. See Swallows. Ringed plover ( Charadrius hiaticula) Meadowlark. See Blackbirds. Upland plover [Not a true plover.] See Murre. See Anklets, etc. Sandpipers under Curlews, etc. Murrelets. See Anklets, etc. Surthird : Nighthawk : Common nighthawk ( Chor- Surfbird ( Aphriza virgata) deiles minor) Turnstones : Nightingale. See Thrushes. Black turnstone ( Arenaria melanoce- Nutcracker. See Crows, etc. phala) Nuthatch : Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Ruddy turnstone ( Arenaria interpres) canadensis) Ptarmigan. See Grouse, etc. Osprey. See Eagles, etc. Puffin. See Anklets, etc. Ovenbird. See Wood warblers. Raven. See Crows, etc. Owls : Redpoll. See Finches, under Buntings, Great gray owl (Striz nebulosa) etc. Hawk owl (Surnia u/u/a) Redstart. See Wood Warblers. Horned owl ( Bubo virginianus) Robin. See Thrushes. Long-eared owl ( Asio otus) Ruff. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, Pygmy owl ( Glaueidium gnoma) etc. Saw-whet owl ( Aegalus acadicus) Sanderling. See Sandpipers, under Cur- Screech owl ( Otus asio) lews, etc. Sandpipers. See Curlews, etc. Short-eared owl ( Asio flaman.eus) Snowy owl ( Nyctea scandiaca) Sapsucker. See Flicker, etc. Tengmalm's owl ( Aegoliss funereus) Shearwaters. See Albatrosses, etc. Oyster-catcher : Black oyster-catcher Shrike : Great gray shrike (Lanius excu- ( Haematopus bachmani) bitor) Petrels. See Albatrosses, etc. Snipe. See Curlews, etc. Pewee. See Flycatchers, etc. Solitaire. See Thrushes. Phalaropes : Sparrows. See Buntings, etc. Northern phalarope ( Lobipes lobatus) Stint. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, Red phalarope ( Phalaropus fuloaritts) etc. Phoebe. See Flycatchers, etc. Surfbird. See Plovers, etc. Pipits and Wagtails : Swallows : Pipits : Bank swallow ( Riparia riparia) Water pipit ( Anthus spinoletta) Barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica) Petchora pipit ( Anthus gustavi)—one Cliff swallow ( Petrochelidon pyrrho- record nota)

53 Swallows—Continued Vireo : Warbling ( Vireo gilvus) Purple martin (Progne subis)—one Wagtails. See Pipits. record Waterthrush. See Wood warblers. Tree swallow (Iridoprocne bicolor) Wood warblers : Violet-green swallow ( Tachycineta American redstart (Setophaga ruti- thalassina) cilla)—two records Swans. See Ducks, etc. Blackpol led war bler ( Dendroica Swifts : striata) Black swift ( Nephoecetes niger) MacGillivray's warbler ( Oporornis Vaux's swift ( Chaetura vauxi) tolmiei) White-rumped swift ( Apus pacifi- Magnolia warbler ( Dendroica lutea) cus)—one record Myrtle warbler ( Dendroica coronata) Tanagers : Orange-crowned warbler (Vernavora Scarlet tanager ( Piranga olivacea)— celata) one record Ovenbird ( Selurus aurocapillus)—two Western tanager ( Piranga ludovici- records ana)—two records Pileolated warbler ( Wilsonia pusilla) Tattler. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, Small-billed waterthrush ( Seturus etc. noveborancensis) Terns. See Gulls, etc. Townsend's warbler ( Dendroica town- Thrushes : sendi) Bluethroat (Luscinia suecica) Yellow warbler ( Dendroica petechia) Yellow-throat ( Geothlypis trichas) Gray-cheeked thrush ( Hylocichla Waxwings : minima) Cedar waxwing ( Bombycilla cedrorum) Siberian ruby-throat (Luscinia cal- Greater waxwing ( Bombycilla gar- liope) rulus) Hermit thrush ( Hylocichla guttata) Wheatear. See Thrushes. Mountain bluebird ( Siang currucoi- Whimbrel. See Curlews. des) Willet. See Sandpipers, under Curlews, Robin ( Turdus migratorious) etc. Swainson's thrush ( Hylocichla ustu- Woodpeckers. See Flickers, etc. lata) Wren : Winter wren ( Troglodytes Townsend's solitaire ( Myadestes town- troglodytes) sen,di) Wryneck. See Woodpeckers, under Varied thrush (Ixoreus naevius) Flickers. Wheatear ( Oenanthe oenanthe) Yellowlegs. See Sandpipers, under Cur- Turnstones. See Plovers, etc. lews, etc.

54 TREES AND SHRUBS IMPORTANT TO WILDLIFE

Alaska's 30 species of trees, along with many of its shrubs, are important to wildlife. Visitors will find relatively few unfamiliar trees. All ex- cept three scrubby willows and two paper birches occur also in some other part of the United States. Nineteen of them grow wild in parts of Cali- fornia, and seven are widely distributed in the "north woods" across Canada and south into the northeastern United States. The following list is from the United States Forest Service's Pocket Guide to Alaska Trees, Agriculture Handbook No. 5, United States Department of Agriculture.

TREES

Red alder ( Alnus rubra) Douglas maple ( Acer glabrum var. doug- Sitka alder ( Alnus sinuata) lasii) Thinleaf alder ( Alnus tenuifolia) European mountain-ash (Sorbus aucu- Oregon crab apple ( Malus diversifolia) paria) Quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides) Sitka mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis) Paper birch ( Petula papyri/era) Lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta) Alaska paper birch (Betula papyri/era Balsam poplar ( Populus tacamahaca) var. humilis) Pacific serviceberry ( Amelanchier ftor- Kenai birch ( Betula papyri/era var. ken,- ida) aica) Black spruce ( Picea mariana) Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis) Western paper birch ( Betula papyrifera White spruce ( Picea glamca) var. commutata) Tamarack ( Larix laricina) Alaska yellow cedar ( Chamaecyparis Bebb willow (Salix bebbiana) nootkatensis) Feltleaf willow (Salim alaxensis) Western red cedar ( Thuja plicata) Littletree willow (Salix arbusculoides) Black cottonwood ( Populus trichocarpa) Pacific willow (Salix lasiandra) Alpine fir ( Abies lasiocarpa) Scouler willow (Salix scouteriana) Pacific silver fir ( Abies antabitis) Sitka willow (Satiro sitchensis) Mountain hemlock ( Tsuga mertensiana) Yakutat willow (Satic amplifolia) Western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylia) Pacific yew ( Taxus brevifolia)

PRINCIPAL SHRUBS

American green alder ( Alnus crispa) Greene mountain-ash (Sorbus scopulina) Dwarf arctic birch ( Betula, nana) Siberian mountain-ash (Sorbus sambuci- Resin birch ( Betula glandulosa) folia) Redosier dogwood ( Cormus stolonifera) Saskatoon serviceberry ( Amelamxhier Black hawthorn ( Crataegus douglasii) alnifolia) Common juniper (Juniperus communis) Sandbar willow (Salix interior) Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizon- Serviceberry willow (Salix pseudomon- talis) ticola)

55 RANGE MAPS

BROWN AND GRIZZLY BEARS BLACK BEARS

■ MOUNTAIN GOAT MOUNTAIN SHEEP

CARIBOU 56 BEAVER

A

CUTTHROAT TROUT RAINBOW TROUT

I \ GRAYLING SITKA BLACK-TAILED DEER 57 BIBLIOGRAPHY

For those interested in learning more about Alaska, with particular reference to Its fish and wildlife, here is a list of books, pamphlets, and articles, both popular and scientific. Out-of-print books, and magazine articles, should be available in most public libraries. Alaska. By Division of Territories and Island Possessions, Office of Territories, U. S. Department of the Interior. 65 pages. Washington, D. C. 1945. Alaska : America's Continental Frontier Outpost. By E. P. Walker. Smithsonian Institution War Background Studies No. 13. Publication 3733, Smithsonian ij Institution. 57 pages. Washington, D. C. 1943. Out of print. Alaska's Animals and Fishes. By F. Dufresne. 297 pages. A. S. Barnes and Company, New York, N. Y. 1946. Alaska Bird Trails. By H. Brandt. 464 pages. The Bird Research Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 1943. Alaska Now. By H. H. Hilscher. 309 pages. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Mass. 1950. Alaska Seafood Recipes, Fishery Products Laboratory. Edited and revised by Charlotte D. Speegle and Marjorie Bassett. 79 pp. Ketchikan, Alaska, 1951. Alaska-Yukon Caribou. By 0. J. Murie. North American Fauna No. 54. Bureau of Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 94 pages. Washington, D. C. 1935. The Aleutian Islands. By H. B. Collins, A. H. Clark, and E. H. Walker. Smithsonian Institution War Background Studies No. 21. Publication 3775, Smithsonian Institution. 131 pages. Washington, D. C. 1945. Out of print. America's Greatest Goose-Brant Nesting Area. By D. L. Spencer, U. C. Nelson, and W. A. Elkins. Transactions of the 16th North American Wildlife Conference. Pages 290-295. Wildlife Management Institute. Washington, D. C. 1951. The Birds of Alaska. By I. N. Gabrielson and F. G. Lincoln. Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D. C. (In press.) A Biological Reconnaissance of the Base of the Alaska Peninsula. By W. H. Osgood. North American Fauna, No. 24. 86 pages. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Biological Survey. Washington, D. C. 1904. Out of print. A Biological Survey of the Pribilof Islands. By E. A. Preble and W. L. McAtee. North American Fauna, No. 46. 255 pages. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey. Washington, D. C. 1923. Out of print. Birds of Arctic Alaska. By A. M. Bailey. 317 pages. Colorado Museum of Nat- ural History, Denver, Colorado. 1948. Birds of Canada. By P. A. Taverner. Bulletin 72, Biological Series, No. 19, Canada, Department of Mines. 445 pages. National Museum of Canada. Ottawa, Canada. 1934. Check-list of North American Birds. Prepared by a committee of the American Ornithologists' Union. 526 pages. American Ornithologists' Union, Lancaster, Pa. 1931. Out of print. Fishes of the Pacific Coast of Canada. By W. A. Clemens and G. V. Wilby. Bulletin 58, Fisheries Research Board of Canada. 368 pages. Ottawa, Canada. 1946. The Fauna of the National Parks of the United States ; Birds and Mammals of Mt. McKinley National Park. By J. S. Dixon. Fauna Series No. 3. National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 1938. 236 pages. Out of print. The Flora of Sitka, Alaska. By J. P. Anderson. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science for 1916. Vol. 23, pages 427-482. State of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa. 1916.

58 The Fur Seals and Other Life of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, in 1914. By W. H. Osgood, E. A. Preble, and G. H. Parker. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, Vol. 34. Pages 13-172. U. S. Department of Commerce, Washing- ton, D. C. 1914. Out of print. Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska. By National Park Service. Four-fold leaflet. U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 1950. A Guide to Alaska, Last American Frontier. By M. Colby. American Guide Series, Federal Writer's Project. 427 pages. The MacMillan Company, New York, N. Y. 1944. Here Is Alaska. By E. Stefansson. 154 pages. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N. Y. 1943. List of North American Recent Mammals, 1923. Bulletin 128, Smithsonian Institu- tion. 673 pages. United States National Museum, Washington, D. C. 1924. Out of print. Lives of Game Animals. By E. S. Thompson. 7 vols. Doubleday, Doran and Company, New York, N. Y. 1929. Mammals of North America. By V. H. Cahalane. 682 pages. The MacMillan Company, New York, N. Y. 1947. Mid-Century Alaska. By Office of Territories. 155 pages. Office of Territories. U. S. Department of the Interior. Washington, D. C. 1952. Migration of Birds. By F. C. Lincoln. Circular 16, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 102 pages. U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 1950. Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska. By National Park Service. 15 pages. U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 1950. Notes on the Birds of Southeastern Alaska. By A. M. Bailey. Pages 184-205, The Auk, vol. 44, April 1927. Pacific Coast Avifauna, No. 1. Birds of the Kotzebue Sound Region, Alaska. By. J. Grinnell. 80 pages. Cooper Ornithological Club of California. Santa Clara, California. 1900. Out of print. Pocket Guide to Alaska Trees. By R. T. Taylor and E. L. Little, Jr. Agriculture Handbook No. 5. 63 pages. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 1950. Present Status of the Sea Otter in Alaska. By R. D. Jones, Jr. Transactions of the 16th North American Wildlife Conference. Pages 376-383. Wildlife Man- agement Institute, Washington, D. C. 1951. Raising Reindeer in Alaska. By L. J. Palmer. Miscellaneous Publication 207. 41 pages. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 1934. Some Alaskan Notes. By I. N. Gabrielson. Pages 106-287, The Auk, vol. 61, January-April, 1944. The Status of the Dall Sheep and Caribou in Alaska. By R. F. Scott, E. F. Chatelain, and W. A. Elkins. Transactions of the 15th American Wildlife Conference. Pages 612-626. Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D. C. 1950. The Story of Alaska. By C. L. Andrews. 322 pages. The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho. 1947. Whales, Giants of the Sea. By R. Kellogg. Pages 35-90, National Geographic Magazine, January 1940. Washington, D. C. The Wolves of Mount McKinley. By A. Murie. Fauna Series No. 5. 238 pages. National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 1944. The Wolves of North America. By S. P. Young and E. A. Goldman. 636 pages. The American Wildlife Institute, Washington, D. C. 1944.

59 INDEX

[Page references to principal descriptions]

Arctic Shelf, 7 Muskrat, 32 Bears, 19-21 Nunivak Island, 10 Beaver, 32 Otters, 31, 35 Bibliography, 58 Owls, 43 Birds, 39-43; list, 49-54 Oysters, 13 Bison (buffalo), 26 Pike, 18 Caribou, 24 Precipitation, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Char, 17 Pribilof Islands, 9 Clams 13 Ptarmigan, 41 Coyote, 34 Rainfall—See Preciptation Deer, 25 Range maps, 56-57 Eagles, 43 Refues (wildlife), 10, 24, 44 Elk, 25 Regulations (fishing and hunting), 45 Field mice, 35 Reindeer, 27 Fishes, 11-18; list, 46-47 Salmon, 11-13, 14-15 Commercial, 11-13 Sea birds, 41 Sport, 14-18 Sea lions, 38 Foxes, 33 Sea otter, 35 Fur animals, 30-35 Seals, 37-38 (See also 9, 10) Grayling, 18 Sheefish, 18 Grouse, 42 Shellfish, 13 Guides, 45 Shore birds, 41 Gulf Region, 5 Shrimp, 13 Halibut, 13 Shrubs (list), 55 Hares, 35 Snakes, 1 Hawks, 43 Song birds, 43 Hunting, 45 Southeastern Alaska, 4 Inconnu, 18 Sport fishing, 14-18, 45 Industries, 2 Squirrels, 35 Interior, 6 Temperature, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Land otter, 31 Trees (list), 55 Lemmings, 35 Trouts, 15-18 Licenses (fishing and hunting), 45 Upland game birds, 41-43 Lists of fishes, mammals, and birds, 46-54 Walrus, 38 Lynx, 35 Wapiti, 25 Mammals, 19-39; list, 47-48 Waterfowl, Marmot, 39-41 35 Water birds, Marten, 41 31 Weasel, Mink, 30 32 Weather, (See Precipitation and Mosquitoes, 1 1 also Moose, 23 Temperature) Mountain goat, 22 Whales, 39 Mountain sheep, 21 Wolverine, 32 Musk ox, 27 Wolves, 33

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