Overview

In this episode I talk with Bruce Dale about predator management in Alaska based on his 35 years of experience.   Bruce has a rich set of experiences having worked on a variety of projects for several agencies.  Most recently he was the Director of Wildlife Conservation for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Show Notes

0:30 – Introductions including Bruce’s thoughts on why he hunts and the value of hunting to him.

8:30 – Bruce shares stories about favorite hunts.

10:30 – We discuss how Bruce uses science in hunting.

13:30 — We initiate a discussion of the science of predator management.

16:40 — Bruce considers how we manage people as predators in the system and how wildlife management is a value based process.

23:00 — We discuss the trade offs between scientific information and values.   When do we have enough science to make a science based decision?

31:15 — We talk about several case studies of predator management in Alaska.

41:30 — Bruce talks us through a situation where predator management wasn’t justified nor effective.

43:45 — We discuss differences between managing wolves and bears.

46:00 — Bruce describes Intensive Management Law in Alaska.

51:00 — We transition into a conversation about what is a population for management purposes.

58:30 — Why is predator management so political?

1:03:00 — We talk about the changes that have occurred in the attitudes about hunting.

1:04:30 — What is the future for predator management?

1:06:30 — Bruce offers his advice about what he thinks young professionals should consider as they enter the workforce.

1:11:00 — Outro.

Additional Resources

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game Predator Management