The Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee on Friday again quashed a move to encourage the state to study the brown bear population in the area.
The committee split 4-4 on a motion supporting “any future Fish and Game discussion of bear studies” in the area.
Committee members Sean McLaughlin, Dave Werner, Dean Risley and John Katzeek voted against the motion. Members Tim McDonough, Randy Jackson, Jon Tronrud and Al Gilliam voted in support.
The group passed a motion opposing study in January on a 5-2 vote.
McDonough made the motion after Fish and Game’s assistant area game biologist Anthony Crupi said community support, including from advisory committees and local governments, was important to launching studies.
“When you, as the advisory committee, feel there’s a need, that’s going to spur discussions at Fish and Game,” Crupi said. “If we see a need and start hearing from guides and you guys that there’s a conservation concern, that’s when we start in that direction.”
Without hearing support from the committee or the government, the state wouldn’t do research here if they felt people were opposed to it, he said.
“Community support for our projects is huge,” Crupi said. Crupi also told committee members that a recent bear population study on Kuiu Island found so many black bears, the allowed harvest of the species there tripled. “The density on Kuiu was double what we expected it to be.”
McDonough explained why he pushed for a second vote on the question. “I think it’s important. There seemed to be some confusion on the (first vote) that went around. I thought it was important enough to revisit.”
Committee chair Dean Risley said he didn’t believe there was a conservation problem with brown bears and said he didn’t see the need for a study or the money.