Alaskan Bearcam Captivates Millions Ahead of Fat Bear Week

Between June 22 and August 4, the Brooks Falls bearcam at Katmai National Park was streamed 7.3 million times, a rise of roughly 70 % compared with the same period last year and more than double the audience it drew in 2024. The spike reflects a larger congregation of brown bears at the waterfall this summer, according to Candice Rusch, director of new media at Explore.org, which operates the cam.

The Guardian

The live-stream, installed in 2012, lets viewers watch Alaskan brown bears catch sockeye salmon as the fish migrate upstream. The cameras have become a seasonal attraction, feeding into Katmai’s annual Fat Bear Week—a public, knockout-style competition that crowns the park’s fattest bear as it prepares for hibernation. Rusch notes that the 2025 salmon run was less concentrated than the previous year’s “really high” run, prompting more bears to gather at Brooks Falls and creating the dramatic scenes that drew the larger online audience.

The Guardian

• 7.3 million total streams from June 22 to August 4.

The Guardian

• Viewership up 70 % from the prior year’s same period; more than 2 × the 2024 total.

The Guardian

• A fan recorded a bear named Otis consuming 42 salmon over several hours, an intake estimated at over 100,000 calories.

The Guardian

Candice Rusch explained that the surge in viewers appears linked to the bears’ increased presence at the falls, emphasizing that the cam’s purpose is to foster public connection with wildlife, which she believes can translate into stronger conservation support. Dr. Jeffrey Skibins, associate professor at East Carolina University, highlighted research indicating that nature-based webcams improve conservation attitudes, behaviors, and awareness, while noting they complement rather than replace direct outdoor experiences.

The Guardian

The heightened interest arrives just before Fat Bear Week begins in the autumn, when the public votes to crown the park’s fattest bear. Organizers anticipate that the record-breaking viewership will boost participation in the competition and further spotlight the importance of protecting Alaska’s salmon-bearing ecosystems.

The Guardian