Fat Bear Week Kicks Off Early with Abundant Salmon Run, Bears Vying for Glory in Annual Online Competition
The much-anticipated Fat Bear Week is set to commence earlier this year, with the online competition starting on September 23rd. This annual event, which usually kicks off in early October, spotlights Alaskan brown bears as they prepare for hibernation and bulk up impressively.
According to Matt Johnson, Interpretation Program Manager at Katmai National Park and Preserve, the exceptional salmon run this year has resulted in the bears being exceptionally well-fed. Consequently, they are reportedly less focused on competing for food and more engaged in leisure activities.
On September 22nd, the bracket for Fat Bear Week 2025 will be unveiled, offering fans a glimpse of familiar faces from past champions such as 128 Grazer, 480 Otis, and the colossal 747, also known as Bear Force One, estimated to weigh a staggering 1,400 pounds. New contenders will challenge these veterans in a single-elimination tournament that runs from September 23rd through the 30th, culminating in the coronation of a new champion.
Meanwhile, Fat Bear Junior, designed for bear cubs, has already commenced on Thursday.
With over one million votes cast for the bears in 2024 from one hundred countries, organizers anticipate global participation once again. The brown bears of Katmai have gained a unique celebrity status, captivating audiences worldwide through live streams known as “bearcams” that broadcast their activities at scenic Brooks Falls and other areas.
The abundance of salmon in Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay in southern Alaska has contributed to a decrease in bear conflicts this year compared to the 2024 competition, which was delayed due to one large bear killing another. This year, there’s been less congregation at Brooks Falls, less fighting, and surprisingly more playtime among bears.
Chunk, the bear who arrived at the river with a broken jaw and other injuries believed to be from a fight, presents an intriguing narrative for this year’s competition. Since his arrival, he’s been seen fishing and adapting to his injury, even interacting gently with younger bears like 503.
Started in 2014 as an educational initiative, Fat Bear Week serves to educate the general public and students about brown bears, sockeye salmon, and the dynamic ecosystem they inhabit. As bears that emerged in the spring in a gaunt state enter hyperphagia—a condition characterized by an insatiable hunger for food to build up fat for survival during winter—viewers witness their transformation.
By fall, large males typically exceed 1,000 pounds, according to Katmai National Park’s website. Approximately 80-100 bears return annually to the Brooks River, many of them having learned to fish as cubs alongside their mother bears. Only a dozen of these bears are featured in the annual Fat Bear Week competition.
Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to an estimated 2,200 bears, according to Sarah Bruce, media team lead at the national park.