BANFF – A fish feast may attract hungry bears like bear No. 122, aka The Boss, to Vermilion Lakes, forcing Parks Canada to close an area to public access where there has been a mass die-off of fish as a result of naturally occurring winter-kill.
The federal agency confirmed Bear 122 was spotted on Monday (March 18) – the first confirmed bear sighting of the year and a tell-tale sign that spring is here when bears begin to emerge from the winter dens and scour the landscape for early-season food.
“Bears are awake and active in Banff National Park,” said Cassandra Smyth, public relations and communications officer for Banff field unit in an email.
“Bear activity will begin to increase within the national park, as spring arrives.”
On Friday (March 22), Parks Canada was quick to close an area adjacent to Vermilion Lakes Road between second and third Vermilion Lakes because of dead fish that may attract hungry bears.
The fish are believed to have died as a result of a naturally occurring phenomenon referred to as winter-kill.
Winter-kill, which most commonly affects shallow, nutrient-rich lakes and wetlands, occurs when ice and snow levels above the water’s surface become so thick that light cannot penetrate the water column.
As a result, aquatic plants and algae cannot produce oxygen through photosynthesis, resulting in a decrease in the amount of oxygen available to the aquatic life below the ice, which can cause mass fish die-offs.
In January 2023, thousands of dead and dying fish were found in Vermilion Lakes. White suckers and brook stickleback – which are native to Vermilion Lakes – were the species impacted by the winter-kill.
Parks Canada did not provide an interview on the closure at Vermilion Lakes by press time, nor the emergence of bears from their dens, but said the closure was because the fish are a wildlife attractant.
“Wildlife cannot be disturbed by human presence,” according to the closure notice, which also states anyone caught violating the closure could face a fine of up to $25,000 in court,
John Marriott, a local wildlife advocate and wildlife photographer, said he is happy to see Parks Canada taking the initiative with this closure at Vermilion Lakes, noting this will be a great early-season food source for bear 122 and other bears.
“The Boss is a great example of a bear that’s learned to live with us and put up with our antics, so anything we can do to give him some space is great,” said Marriott, who first photographed bear 122 in 2010.
“The next few years are going to be important ones for the grizzly population in the Banff-Lake Louise area given the deaths of a number of female bears in the past three years on roads and railways, so I’m encouraged seeing Parks take these kinds of steps.”
With snow still on the ground, food is scarce when bears emerge from their dens in mid to late March to mid-May.
Lean and in need of nutrition, bears typically spend spring searching for food in the valley bottoms and don’t move to higher elevations until the snow disappears and vegetation greens up later in the season.
In the case of No. 122, he typically travels up and down the railway tracks as an easier way to move through the snowy environment, searching for spilled grain or the carcasses of other wildlife that were struck and killed by trains over winter.
For now, this bear and other bears coming out of their dens are focused solely on finding food. Bear No. 122 remains successful as the dominant bear in the park, meaning he has bred with most of the female bears in the area and has access to the best food sources.
While his movements vary throughout his 2,500-square-kilometre home range in Banff National Park and potentially parts of Kootenay National Park, including front country and backcountry areas, he spends the early part of the year in the busy Bow Valley.
The patriarch of Bow Valley grizzlies, The Boss is often the last grizzly to go into the den for winter and typically the first out.
Last year, the first sighting of him was on March 23 west of Banff along the Bow Valley Parkway. In 2022, he appeared on March 14 and the year before that was March 29.
A Parks Canada resource conservation officer came across large bear tracks on Feb. 28, 2020 – the earliest a grizzly bear had been recorded out of the den in Banff over the previous decade. It was suspected to be No. 122.
A remote camera picked up The Boss on March 19, 2019. In 2018, he was spotted March 24. In 2017, there was a confirmed sighting on March 22, in 2016 on March 5, in 2015 on March 19 and in 2014 on March 16.
A regular in the Bow Valley, the celebrity bear is thought to be in his mid-20s.
Bear 122’s closest rival is bear No. 136, also known as Split Lip for his disfigured mouth. While his exact age is unknown, wildlife experts suspect bear 136 is approximately in the same age range as bear No. 122.
Following the emergence of the large male grizzly bears, sub-adults and adult females will be the next to come out of their dens. Females with cubs are typically the last out.
Parks Canada reminds residents and visitors to make lots of noise, stay on official trails and travel during daylight hours, while also considering hiking in larger groups.
There is also advice to watch for fresh bear signs – tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs and turned-over rocks are all signs that a bear has been in the area.
“Leave the area if the signs are fresh,” said Smyth in her email.
If hiking, and people come across a large dead animal, Parks suggests leaving the area immediately, report it to park staff and call Banff dispatch at 403-762-1470.
Residents and visitors are also reminded to carry bear spray, make sure it is accessible and know how to use it. Bear spray can help deter other large animals, too, such as cougars, wolves, coyotes, elk, deer, moose, and bison.
It is also the law to keep dogs on leash at all times in the national park.
“Dogs can provoke defensive behaviour in bears,” said Smyth.
In Yellowstone National Park, the first official sighting of a grizzly in 2024 was reported on March 3. It was spotted by skiers.
