Overview

• Chunk defeated Bear 856 in the final, 96,350 to 63,725, to claim his first Fat Bear Week title.
• The Sept. 23–30 tournament set a participation record with more than 1.5 million votes cast worldwide.
• After reappearing in June with a broken jaw likely from a fight, Chunk adapted his fishing and was estimated at about 1,200 pounds.
• Rangers reported an exceptionally large sockeye run, with roughly 200,000 salmon ascending the Brooks River and less conflict at Brooks Falls.
• Organizers rely on livestreams and photo-based estimates, sometimes aided by LIDAR, to educate the public and raise funds such as Explore.org’s match to the Otis Fund.