Want to see a video of a black bear walking off with one of the biggest salmon you’ll ever see? Then you’ve come to the right place.
I’m no expert on the strength of the bear population in Alaska, but I feel comfortable saying that this bear evidently doesn’t skip upper body day. Black bears are known for their power and towing capabilities, and this animal really showcased both as it walked away with a massive, 40-plus pound fish.
An amateur photographer was in Ketchikan, Alaska when he spotted this black bear hauling around quite the impressive fish dinner. Bears will eat just about anything, though they might not have a snack that they favor more than salmon. The large animals will often spend hours fishing, and are normally successful in their endeavors.
Some bruins have been known to catch and eat over 30 salmon in one day.
A bear’s speed and razor-sharp talons make them perfect anglers, and their strength allows for them to walk away with their catch. Fully grown black bears can lift up to 300 pounds with each paw, and their bite force sits at around 800 psi. In other words, if they need to carry prey off in their jaws, that’s very doable.
In this case, the black bear first took out the fish of its choosing, and it landed a mighty salmon. But that was only half the battle. After it was caught, the apex predator had to get the fish up and out of the water. It chomped down on it with its teeth, flexed its strong bite and neck muscles, and waltzed right up onto the shore with its prize.
And it was all caught on camera by Ed Pitotrowski, who described the footage as this:
“Witnessed a big ole bear land a king salmon! Locals estimate the fish was close to 40 pounds. That bear had a feast!”
That’s one big fish.
Depending on the species of salmon, the largest ones can reach close to 12o pounds. If this one in the video had its weight estimated correctly, it’s one of the more sizable fish you’ll see out in the wild.
For this bear, it was a fresh salmon dinner that had to have satiated its hunger for at least a little while.
Social media users were blown away by the video, saying:
Been there before, beautiful place. That is a huge salmon.
— ThePeacemaker (@Peacemaker7824) July 3, 2026
WOW. He could’a had his friends over for a feast!
— Blue Earth (@_Blue_Earth_) July 3, 2026
Holy heck! That’s a whopper.
— 🟦 Patrick Towey, Not A Right-Wing Nutjob (@toweypat) July 3, 2026
Wow! That’s a big fish and now feast for that bear!!
— Laurence Tobias (@LaurenceTobias1) July 3, 2026
He’s going to be passed out soon.
— George (@Sailormanwdog) July 3, 2026
