Nothing Wasted
Alaska, USA
In the summer, brown bears gather in the streams of the backcountry of Alaska to take advantage of the sockeye runs through Katmai National Park and Preserve. These runs are vital to the survival of the bears which must gain enough weight to make it through their long winter hibernation.
Some bears are adept at fishing and spend their time chasing down salmon. While this requires a lot of energy, it does allow them to catch whole, live fish. In turn, they can choose to eat only the most nutritious parts of the salmon, such as the fatty skin, eggs or the head/brain. This process is known as “high grading”. When there is a glut of fish on which to feed, bears may ‘high grade”, and simply leave the rest of the carcass for other bears or animals to scavenge.
Other bears swim on the surface of the water with their faces submerged engaged in what is called “snorkeling”. This is seen particularly when the density of salmon in the stream decreases. Snorkelers gather dead and dying fish that lie below the surface. Although just ‘caught’, this salmon has clearly been partially eaten and discarded. But what one bear leaves behind, another cherishes. Nothing is wasted. Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.
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