The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for your help. Bald eagles are gathering in land fillsand around areas with large concentrations of trash, posing a danger to themselves and a nuisance to local residents. Biologists are asking people not to feed the eagles, and to take other precautions to help solve this immediate problem.
Large concentrations of bald eagles gather in many south coastal communities. In an effort to solve this growing problem, some communities are burning and baling their trash, putting lids on dumpsters, keeping boat decks free of bait and fish waste, and refraining from feeding the eagles.
Bald eagles are abundant throughout coastal Alaska, because of the rich food supplies of fish, seabirds, waterfowl and marine mammals. Although eagles will catch and eat healthy fish, birds, and small mammals, they are opportunistic scavengers and will eat dead animals from the beach, weak or dying animals, and garbage from humans.
Eagles face many hazards in populated areas. Numerous eagles have been injured or killed by power lines, windows and car strikes. Some eagles have gotten stuck in dumpsters, or have been compacted with the trash in dump trucks. Eagles have been injured and even killed while squabbling over food left on decks of fishing boats.
Recently the Unalaska landfill started baling and burning garbage, making once abundant food sources of human garbage unavailable to eagles. Other communities have put heavy lids on dumpsters to prevent eagles from getting the trash. Eagles eventually disperse and begin feeding on their natural food sources when human food is unavailable.
"Natural foods are much better nutritionally for the eagles" says Steve Kendall with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Please help by not feeding the eagles, and make sure dumpster lids are secured in your community. If you own a fishing boat, do not leave fish or bait on deck where it is accessible to eagles.
If an eagle or other bird is injured within your community, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or city police. Some coastal communities, such as Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, have trained volunteers to assist with injured birds. Volunteers work in cooperation with the Bird Treatment in Learning Center in Anchorage to assess the birds injuries and provide the proper care. If you would like additional information concerning eagles, please call Steve Kendall at (907) 786-3693 or Phil Schempf at (907) 586-7331 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Although bald eagles are not considered endangered or threatened in the State of Alaska, they benefit from the protection of the Bald Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Currently, biologists estimate that there are approximately 50,000 eagles in Alaska, more than anywhere else in the United States.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 67 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
