ALASKA BEAT TWEET OF THE MONTH
A Katmai National Park grizzly named 480 Otis took the Fat Bear Week title for 2021. (L. LAW/KATMAI NATIONAL PARK)
POUND FOR POUND FOR POUND: OTIS RULES FAT BEAR WEEK
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nother year of Katmai National Park salmon binge eating means the grizzlies there will have packed on plenty of extra pounds for winter. The king of those impressive ursine specimens? A big boy named 480 Otis, who captured the hearts of voters in the college basketball tournament-style contest known as Fat Bear Week. Otis pushed his weight around early in the contest when he was voted through to the next round matched up with the defending biggest and baddest bear, 2020 champ 747. He then took down another hefty challenger, 812, in the semifinals before matching up with a behemoth named 151 Walker in the final. Otis carried his weight against Walker, scoring 51,230 votes to 44,834 to take the title as the king of calorie intake. Until next year, Katmai bruins. Bon appétit.
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Today would have been my Dad’s 93rd birthday. Too many memories to share. Our trip to Alaska was a gift like no other. Dr. Ernest Hamilton touched countless lives as a professor. That fishing hat still resides with me where I can see it and remember all his life lessons and love! -@ScottHamilton84 Oct. 7 Editor’s note: Scott Hamilton won the gold medal in men’s figure skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
88 NOTABLE NUMBER
According to The Seattle Times, Alaska’s 2021-22 snow crab catch limit of 5.6 million pounds as of Oct. 8 was down 88 percent from the previous season’s total.
QUOTABLE
“Clem Tillion belongs to history now. Almost 100 years of his own history and a lot of great contributions to the state of Alaska. He was an outstanding person and a great teacher.” –Rick Halford, former Alaska state senator, to Alaska Public Media discussing the life of Tillion, who passed away at 96 on Oct. 13 after serving 20 years in the state legislature and was known as a “fish czar” for his longtime work as a fisheries lobbyist.
aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2021
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
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