Hunting for brown bears in all areas of the Kenai Peninsula is closed by emergency order starting today, the State Department of Fish and Game said Wednesday.

According to an advisory announcement, brown bear hunting is managed via registration permit with a maximum of 50-60 total human-caused brown bear mortalities per calendar year. Of those, eight to 12 may be adult females on a consecutive three-year average.

So far this year, 50 brown bears have been killed by humans, and 10 of those were females. The three-year average has climbed to 11.7 adult female brown bears, triggering the closure.

“We monitor this hunt and the harvest very closely, and hunters have been very successful. Hunters selecting to harvest male bears rather than female bears has allowed the season to remain open as long as it has. Closing the season at this point may allow additional reproductive aged female bears to remain in the population for future years,” says Regional Supervisor Cynthia Wardlow in the release. “Providing hunting opportunities and managing a sustainable brown bear population are both important on the Kenai Peninsula.”

The hunting season will reopen on Jan. 1. Hunters with permits for this season “should submit their reports within 10 days of the close of the season,” the announcement reads.

For more information about hunting regulations and availability, visit adfg.alaska.gov.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.