State Concurs with Federal Decision to Not List Southeast Wolves as Endangered
- ADF&G Press Release

Sam Cotten, Commissioner
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526


Press Release: January 5, 2016

Contact: Bruce Dale, Director, Division of Wildlife Conservation, (907) 861-2101

State Concurs with Federal Decision to Not List Southeast Wolves as Endangered

(Juneau) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) concurs with the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to not list Southeast Alaska wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

Division of Wildlife Conservation Director Bruce Dale said that while wolves have declined on Prince of Wales Island, densities there remain among Alaska’s highest.

Wolves’ persistence on Prince of Wales Island and in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia overall is not in doubt. Like all wildlife, wolf populations are dynamic over time. Wolves have high reproduction rates and are great dispersers and colonizers. Prey resources are abundant on Prince of Wales Island. In the meantime, the department and the U.S. Forest Service are poised to continue managing human-caused mortality conservatively on Prince of Wales and surrounding islands as necessary.

The department is committed to ensuring wolves thrive in Southeast and will continue to work with the U.S. Forest Service by actively engaging in wolf research, monitoring and management on Prince of Wales Island and elsewhere in Southeast. Through sound management, research, outreach and education, we aim to maintain healthy wolf populations to support sustainable harvests, viewing and other uses over the long term.