Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists tracking bears near Mendenhall Glacier this morning came across a fish dump at the end of Valley Boulevard.
Two piles of cut up fish remains were found near the the popular Under Thunder trail.
“It’s a safety concern because it’s a bear attractant,” says biologist Stephanie Sell. “It’s in an area we know we have lots of bears because it’s butted up against Thunder Mountain.”
Discarding fish waste on public or private property is against state law.
Sell asks that people properly dispose of fish carcasses and says if you see someone dumping fish in town, you should call Fish and Game, Juneau Police or Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
“We just want to make sure that people don’t get hurt and at the same time we don’t want bears to get killed because of people’s irresponsible behavior.”
The best method of disposal is to clean fish at the docks and dump waste there. If you’re fishing in rivers, tossing small pieces in fast moving water keeps waste from building up on banks. If you have to bring the fish home, freeze the remains and put it out with the garbage in the morning.
