Most fishing bear photos seem to come from Katmai or Lake Clark, but on an adventure to Alaska and the Yukon, we made a pit stop in Haines, Alaska. There, a mama bear with four cubs were bulking up around a fishing weir.
What is a fishing weir? Think of it as a fence to help monitor/control the flow of salmon during the salmon run. Throughout the day, counters would sit at this weir counting how many salmon were entering the nearby lake. It’s critical research in monitoring salmon populations. But for the local bears, it’s an easy meal.
Salmon sometimes get stuck in these weirs and when that happens the bears get a free meal. Younger bears often take years to perfect the art of catching a leaping salmon at Brooks Falls. In Haines, even a COY can reach down and grab one. That is, when they’re not being chased away from the fishing counters just trying to do their job.
BlueBarronPhoto 