When Rotting Fish Means Bear Country

If you smell rotting fish while hiking near a river or stream, treat it as a precaution and assume a bear may be feeding nearby. Alaska bear-safety guidance warns hikers to be especially cautious along salmon streams, where brown bears may be feeding on fish or defending a fishing spot. Fall salmon runs can bring higher bear activity and a greater chance of defensive reactions in close encounters. Grizzlies do not mate in the fall, but they do feed intensively in the late summer and fall, as they build fat reserves before denning. That means a strong fishy smell in bear habitat may point less to the bear’s body odor and more to the food source, carcass, or feeding area that can put you dangerously close to one.

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