Three moose in the Chilkat Valley photographed during the 2016 survey. (Carl Koch)
Starting in March, Alaska Department of Fish and Game will begin collecting data on the Upper Lynn Canal’s moose population using radio frequency collars. Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Carl Koch made the announcement this week during a meeting of the Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee.
By tagging a select number of moose, the collars will improve the accuracy of aerial surveys of the moose population. Koch says they will examine population changes over time and keep tabs on calf survival.
According to Koch, Fish and Game has not surveyed the local moose population using collars since 1980. He says the collars they use have improved greatly since then.
An animal wearing a Very High Frequency, or VHF, radio transmitter can be tracked by a person on the ground or in the air using a receiver and directional antenna.
Unlike GPS, VHF devices require that someone physically locates the animal.
However, VHF devices are cheaper and Koch says the models the Fish and Game uses have a battery life of 15 years.
In addition, the signal changes if the animal doesn’t move for a certain length of time, indicating the animal may be dead, or the collar has come off.
When ADF&G conducted an aerial survey of the moose population in 2016, it recorded the highest minimum count in ten years.
