WP18 28 Executive Summary - United States Department of ... · (Aderman 2014). Harvest History...
Transcript of WP18 28 Executive Summary - United States Department of ... · (Aderman 2014). Harvest History...
WP18–28 Executive Summary
General Description Proposal WP18–28 requests the addition of a winter may-be-announced
moose season in the portion of Unit 18 in the Goodnews River drainage
and south to the Unit 18 boundary. Submitted by: Togiak National
Wildlife Refuge.
Proposed Regulation Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—Goodnews River drainage and south to
the Unit 18 boundary—1 antlered bull by State
registration permit. Any needed closures will be
announced by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Manager after consultation with BLM, ADF&G,
and the Chair of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
or
1 moose by State registration permit
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
A season may be
announced
between Dec. 1
and the last day
of Feb.
OSM Preliminary Conclusion Support with modification to remove the unit specific language
referencing closures and delegate authority to the Togiak National
Wildlife Refuge Manager to close the fall season and to open and close
the “may be announced” winter season, and to set harvest quotas and
restrictions via a delegation of authority letter only.
The modified regulation should read:
Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—Goodnews River drainage and south to
the Unit 18 boundary—1 antlered bull by State
registration permit. Any needed closures will be
announced by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Manager after consultation with BLM, ADF&G,
and the Chair of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
WP18–28 Executive Summary
Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
or
1 moose by State registration permit
A season may be
announced
between Dec. 1
and the last day
of Feb.
Southeast Alaska Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council
Recommendation
Southcentral Alaska
Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council
Recommendation
Kodiak/Aleutians Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council
Recommendation
Bristol Bay Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council
Recommendation
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council
Recommendation
Western Interior Alaska
Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council
Recommendation
WP18–28 Executive Summary
Seward Peninsula
Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council
Recommendation
Northwest Arctic Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council
Recommendation
Eastern Interior Alaska
Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council
Recommendation
North Slope Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council
Recommendation
Interagency Staff Committee
Comments
ADF&G Comments
Written Public Comments None
DRAFT STAFF ANALYSIS
WP18-28
ISSUES
Proposal WP18-28, submitted by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), requests the addition of a
winter may-be-announced moose season in the portion of Unit 18 in the Goodnews River drainage and
south to the Unit 18 boundary.
DISCUSSION
The proponent notes that the moose population in the Goodnews drainage has grown substantially in recent
years, from less than 10 moose in 2002, to an estimated 600 moose in 2017. It reports that the bull:cow and
calf:cow ratios are adequate, and that the combined State/Federal quota of 20 bulls has not been met in the
fall season for several years. This hunt is administered by State registration permit, which ensures good
reporting and harvest management, with permit distribution occurring in the communities of Goodnews
Bay and Platinum, which limits participation. The proponent reports that access to moose hunting during
fall is limited in this area, and that the addition of a winter season will increase opportunities for Federally
qualified subsistence users to harvest moose.
The proponent’s written request is to establish a may-be-announced season between December 1 and the
last day of February, with a harvest limit of one antlered bull. However, after additional correspondence
with the proponent, the request was amended to include a harvest limit of one moose, rather than one
antlered bull for the winter season. It believes this allows maximum flexibility in managing the dynamic
moose population, which may become increasingly important considering the rapid growth Unit 18 moose
populations are experiencing. It also notes that it will reduce regulatory complexity between State and
Federal regulations, simplifying use of the State registration permit and improving opportunity for parallel
in-season management.
Existing Federal Regulation
Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18
boundary—1 antlered bull by State registration permit. Any needed
closures will be announced by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Manager after consultation with BLM, ADF&G, and the Chair of the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
Proposed Federal Regulation
Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18
boundary—1 antlered bull by State registration permit. Any needed
closures will be announced by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Manager after consultation with BLM, ADF&G, and the Chair of the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
or
1 moose by State registration permit
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
A season may be
announced between
Dec. 1 and the last
day of Feb.
Existing State Regulation
Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—South of and including the Goodnews
drainage—One antlered bull by permit available in person in
Goodnews Bay and Platinum Aug. 1 – 25. Season closed by
emergency order when 20 bulls are taken.
or
One moose by permit available in person in Goodnews Bay
and Platinum – may be announced.
RM620
RM621
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
May be announced
Extent of Federal Public Lands
Federal public lands comprise approximately 68% of the portion of Unit 18 in the Goodnews drainage and
south to the Unit 18 boundary and consist of 62% U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) managed lands
and 6% Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed lands (Map 1).
Customary and Traditional Use Determinations
Residents of Unit 18, Upper Kalskag and Lower Kalskag have a customary and traditional use
determination for moose in the Unit 18 remainder customary and traditional use area, which includes the
Goodnews drainage hunt area.
Map 1. The Unit 18 moose hunt area described as the Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18
boundary.
Regulatory History
Federal public lands south of and including the Goodnews River drainage were closed to all moose harvest
until 2008. However, under State regulation, a Sep. 1 – 30 moose season remained open on lands outside
of Federal jurisdiction until 2004. This season was closed by emergency order in 2004 and 2005. By
2006, there was agreement among USFWS, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the
communities of Goodnews Bay and Platinum to impose a moratorium on moose harvest. The moratorium
began in 2006 and was intended to remain in place for 3 years, or until 100 moose were counted within the
Goodnews River drainage (Aderman 2014).
By 2008, the moose population had exceeded 100 moose and Proposal WP08-34 was adopted with
modification by the Federal Subsistence Board (Board). This action established a Federal moose season in
the Goodnews River hunt area. The Alaska Board of Game (BOG) also established a moose season in
2008. Both Federal and State seasons were open Aug. 25 – Sep 20, had a harvest limit of one antlered bull,
and required the use of a State registration permit (BOG 2017; OSM 2017).
In 2009, the BOG adopted Proposal 1, which shifted the State season to Sep. 1 – 30. This change became
effective in regulatory year 2010. In 2012, the Board adopted WP12-46. This action shifted the Federal
season to Sep. 1 – 30, resulting in realignment of State and Federal seasons (BOG 2017; OSM 2017).
In January 2017, the BOG established an additional may-be-announced season with the adoption of
Proposal 21. This hunt requires the use of a registration permit and has a harvest limit of one moose.
Intended as a winter hunt, the BOG gave ADF&G the authority to determine the length and timing of the
opening, and to establish harvest quotas for the hunt. There was some concern by members of the BOG
that, although the moose population is increasing, additional harvest opportunity may result in high harvest
rates relative to the current population size. However, the BOG ultimately agreed that there was a realistic
possibility that this population would be able to support additional harvest prior to 2020, the next time they
will consider proposals for this region, and agreed that it was prudent to give ADF&G the authority to
manage the harvest (BOG 2017).
Biological Background
Prior to the early 2000s, moose were not reliably observed in the Goodnews River drainage. Early
population growth is attributed to emigration from adjacent Unit 17A, with high calf recruitment sustaining
growth (Aderman 2014). Population estimates, obtained by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge as part
of their Refuge-wide moose monitoring program, show substantial growth of the moose population in this
area (Figure 1). In 2004, the population within this hunt area was estimated to be just 10 moose. By
2012, it had exceeded a minimum count of at least 200 moose (Aderman 2014).
Figure 1. Estimated moose population size in the Goodnews River drainage hunt area, 2004 – 2017.
2004 – 2012 estimates are minimum counts. 2016 – 2017 estimates are derived from GSPE surveys.
Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals (Aderman 2014, Aderman 2017, pers. comm.).
More recently, the Refuge has begun using a geospatial population estimator technique (GSPE) to estimate
abundance. This approach results in a statistical estimate of abundance, taking into account spatial
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2004 2005 2006 2006 2008 2009 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Po
pu
lati
on
esti
mate
(N
um
ber
of
mo
ose)
correlation among moose on the landscape (Kellie and DeLong 2006). Using these methods, abundance of
the Goodnews River drainage moose population was estimated to be 361 moose in October 2016 and 505
moose in March 2017. Corrected for sightability, the 2017 estimate is 607 moose. While the precision of
these estimates is poor, the population is believed to have grown since 2012 (Aderman 2017, pers. comm.).
A survey in October 2016 indicated that there were 47 bulls:100 cows and 43 calves:100 cows in this
population (Aderman 2017, pers. comm.). Refuge-wide, for the 1998 – 2013 time period, calf production
averaged 128 calves:100 cows and yearling recruitment averaged 60 calves:100cows, which has been
sufficient for steady growth in this population. Average weight of 10 month old female calves for 2002 –
2013 was 190 – 216 kg, indicating a high plane of nutrition relative to some other parts of the State
(Aderman 2014).
Harvest History
Moose hunting has been legal in the Goodnews hunt area since 2008, when the moose population exceeded
100 animals and the BOG and the Board established moose hunting seasons. Since then, reported harvest
has averaged 13.5 moose annually (Table 1). The harvest quota has been set at 20 bulls since 2011. In
every year since, reported harvest has remained below this threshold, without the use of closures by
Emergency Order (BOG 2017; ADF&G 2017).
Since 2008, moose in the Goodnews hunt area have been harvested exclusively by Federally qualified
subsistence users, with the exception of a single moose taken in 2009 by a resident of Dillingham.
Seventy-five percent of the reported harvest has been by residents of Goodnews Bay, while residents of
Platinum have taken 15% of the harvest. The residency of successful moose hunters in 2014 who
harvested 8% of the total harvest since 2008 is unknown. However, it is expected that residency patterns
in 2014 are consistent with other years. If so, residents of Goodnews Bay and Platinum, the two
communities within the hunt area, account for approximately 98% of the total harvest in this area (ADF&G
2017).
Table 1. Reported moose harvest in the Goodnews hunt area 2008 – 2016, by resident community
(ADF&G 2017)
Resident Community 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Bethel - - - 1 - - - - -
Dillingham - 1 - - - - - - -
Goodnews Bay 10 8 10 15 11 10 - 13 14
Platinum 3 1 1 2 2 4 - 2 3
Quinhagak - - - 0 - 1 - - -
Unknown - - - 0 - - 10 - -
Total Harvest 13 10 11 18 13 15 10 15 17
Effects of the Proposal
If this proposal is adopted, Federally qualified subsistence users will have additional opportunities to
harvest moose in the portion of Unit 18 in the Goodnews River drainage south to the Unit 18 boundary.
The addition of a winter season is not expected to affect the moose population in this area because it does
not expand the pool of eligible users, all of whom can participate in State’s winter hunt. The use of quotas
and registration permits further guards against overharvest.
The addition of a Dec. 1 – last day of Feb. may-be-announced season does not align fully with recent
changes in State regulation. However, the aim of the State’s recent regulation change was to give local
managers the flexibility to open a winter hunt, consistent with the aim of this proposal. Adoption of this
proposal will improve opportunity for parallel State and Federal in-season management and will reduce
regulatory complexity.
OSM PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION
Support Proposal WP18-28 with modification to remove the unit specific language referencing closures
and delegate authority to the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge Manager to close the fall season and to open
and close the “may be announced” winter season, and to set harvest quotas and restrictions via a delegation
of authority letter only (Appendix A).
The modified regulation should read:
Unit 18—Moose
Unit 18—Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18
boundary—1 antlered bull by State registration permit. Any needed
closures will be announced by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Manager after consultation with BLM, ADF&G, and the Chair of the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
or
1 moose by State registration permit
Sep. 1 – Sep. 30
A season may be
announced between
Dec. 1 and the last
day of Feb.
Justification
Establishing a winter season provides an additional opportunity for Federally qualified subsistence users to
harvest moose if they are unsuccessful in the fall. Relative to a preset season, a may-be-announced season
poses little risk to the moose population in the area, since it allows local managers to be responsive to
changing population and harvest dynamics. Setting the winter harvest limit at one moose, and delegating
authority to the Federal manager to set harvest restrictions, provides maximum flexibility. This is an
important consideration when managing dynamic populations such as this one, particularly in a region
experiencing rapid moose population growth like Unit 18. Administration of this hunt though registration
permits, and use of harvest quotas, provides additional protection against overharvest.
Moose harvest within the Goodnews drainage hunt area occurs almost exclusively by local hunters, all of
whom are eligible to harvest moose during the State’s resident season. Consequently, the addition of a
Federal season, while it represents additional opportunity, is not expected to have any realized effect on the
moose population in the area. However, this proposal does improve the ability of State and Federal
managers to jointly implement in-season management, which will simplify compliance for local users.
LITERATURE CITED
Aderman, A.R. 2014. Demographics and Home Ranges of Moose at Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Southwest
Alaska, 1998 – 2013. Unpublished report. USFWS, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Dillingham, AK.
Aderman, A.R. 2017. Wildlife biologist. Personal communication: phone & email. Togiak National Wildlife
Refuge. Dillingham, AK.
ADF&G. 2017. WinfoNet. https://winfonet.alaska.gov/. Retrieved: April 27, 2017.
BOG. 2017. Audio transcripts of the Alaska Board of Game proceedings. January 9, 2017. Bethel, AK. Alaska
Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, AK
Kellie, K.A., and R.A. DeLong. 2006. Geospatial survey operations manual. , ADF&G. Fairbanks, AK, USA.
OSM, 2017. Federal Subsistence Permit System. Microcomputer database. Retrieved: April 2017. Anchorage,
AK.
APPENDIX A
Refuge Manager
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 270 MS 569
Dillingham, Alaska 99576
Dear Refuge Manager:
This letter delegates specific regulatory authority from the Federal Subsistence Board (Board) to the
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge Manager to issue emergency or temporary special actions if necessary to
ensure the conservation of a healthy wildlife population, to continue subsistence uses of wildlife, for
reasons of public safety, or to assure the continued viability of the population. This delegation only applies
to the Federal public lands subject to Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Title
VIII jurisdiction within Unit 18, Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18 boundary, for the
management of moose on these lands.
It is the intent of the Board that actions related to management of moose by Federal officials be coordinated,
prior to implementation, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the Chair of the
Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council and the Chair of the Western Interior
Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council to the extent possible. Federal managers are expected to
work with managers from the State and other Federal agencies, the Council Chairs, and applicable Council
members to minimize disruption to subsistence resource users and existing agency programs, consistent
with the need for special action.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
1. Delegation: The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge Manager is hereby delegated authority to issue
emergency or temporary special actions affecting moose on Federal lands as outlined under the Scope of
Delegation. Any action greater than 60 days in length (temporary special action) requires a public hearing
before implementation. Special actions are governed by regulation at 36 CFR 242.19 and 50 CFR 100.19.
2. Authority: This delegation of authority is established pursuant to 36 CFR 242.10(d)(6) and 50 CFR
100.10(d)(6), which state: “The Board may delegate to agency field officials the authority to set harvest and
possession limits, define harvest areas, specify methods or means of harvest, specify permit requirements,
and open or close specific fish or wildlife harvest seasons within frameworks established by the Board.”
3. Scope of Delegation: The regulatory authority hereby delegated is limited to the following authorities
within the limits set by regulation at 36 CFR 242.26 and 50 CFR 100.26:
To close the Sep. 1 – 30 season, and to open and close a season between December 1 and the last
day of February and set harvest quotas and restrictions for moose on Federal public lands within the
portion of Unit 18 in the Goodnews River drainage and south to the Unit 18 boundary.
This delegation may be exercised only when it is necessary to conserve moose populations, to continue
subsistence uses, for reasons of public safety, or to assure the continued viability of the population.
All other proposed changes to codified regulations, such as customary and traditional use determinations,
adjustments to methods and means of take, or closures and restrictions for take by only non-Federally
qualified users shall be directed to the Federal Subsistence Board.
The Federal public lands subject to this delegated authority are those within Unit 18 in the Goodnews River
drainage and south to the Unit 18 boundary.
4. Effective Period: This delegation of authority is effective from the date of this letter and continues
until superseded or rescinded.
5. Guidelines for Delegation: You will become familiar with the management history of the wildlife
species relevant to this delegation in the region, with current State and Federal regulations and management
plans, and be up-to-date on population and harvest status information. You will review special action
requests or situations that may require a special action and all supporting information to determine: (1)
consistency with 36 CFR 242.19, (2) if the request/situation falls within the scope of authority, (3) if
significant conservation problems or subsistence harvest concerns are indicated, and (4) what the
consequences of taking an action or no action may be on potentially affected subsistence users and
non-Federally qualified users. Requests not within your delegated authority will be forwarded to the
Federal Subsistence Board for consideration. You will maintain a record of all special action requests and
rationale for your decision. A copy of this record will be provided to the Administrative Records
Specialist in the Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) no later than sixty days after development of
the document.
You will notify OSM and coordinate with local ADF&G managers and the Chairs of the Yukon
Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council and Western Interior Alaska Subsistence
Regional Advisory Council regarding special actions under consideration. You will issue decisions in a
timely manner. Before the effective date of any decision, reasonable efforts will be made to notify the
public, OSM, affected State and Federal managers, law enforcement personnel, and Council
representatives. If an action is to supersede a State action not yet in effect, the decision will be
communicated to the public, OSM, affected State and Federal Managers, and the local Council
representatives at least 24 hours before the State action would be effective. If a decision to take no action
is made, you will notify the proponent of the request immediately. A summary of special action requests
and your resultant actions must be provided to the coordinator of the appropriate Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council(s) at the end of each calendar year for presentation to the Council(s).
You may defer a special action request, otherwise covered by this delegation of authority, to the Federal
Subsistence Board in instances when the proposed management action will have a significant impact on a
large number of Federal subsistence users or is particularly controversial. This option should be exercised
judiciously and may be initiated only when sufficient time allows for it. Such deferrals should not be
considered when immediate management actions are necessary for conservation purposes. The Federal
Subsistence Board may determine that a special action request may best be handled by the Board,
subsequently rescinding the delegated regulatory authority for the specific action only.
6. Support Services: Administrative support for regulatory actions will be provided by the Office of
Subsistence Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
Sincerely,
Anthony Christianson
Chair, Federal Subsistence Board
cc:: Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Assistant Regional Director, Office of Subsistence Management
Deputy Assistant Regional Director, Office of Subsistence Management
Chair, Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
Chair, Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council
Federal Subsistence Liaison Team Leader, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Subsistence Council Coordinator, Office of Subsistence Management
Federal Subsistence Board
Interagency Staff Committee
Administrative Record