The State of Circumpolar Walrus Populations

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Country Subspecies Hunt management Habitat Protection
boards under the applicable sections of their
respective land claims agreements, with
scientific advice from DFO. Community and
Aboriginal traditional knowledge are also
used to manage walruses, and comanagement
working groups are drafting a
fisheries management plan.
A limited sports hunt has been open for nonresident
hunters since 1994 to benefit
communities located near walrus
populations. Most are conducted in northern
Foxe Basin with some in northern Hudson
Bay.
Greenland Atlantic Walrus in Greenland have been hunted for
the past millennium. Commercial hunting
was prohibited in 1956 but licensed hunts
continue for subsistence. Parliament Act No
12 of 29 October 1999 on harvest and
hunting is a framework act that regulates
hunting and is supplemented by a long list of
ministerial orders issued by government to
regulate details on harvest and hunting of
specific species.
In 2003 a new Nature Protection Act was adopted
to protect biological diversity, ensure that
exploitation is sustainable, and implement
international agreements on the conservation of
nature under Greenlandic law. A ministerial order
on protection and harvest of walrus was
announced in 2006. The Greenland Mineral
Resources Act and other rules, regulations, and
guidelines also stipulate a range of measures for
protecting nature and the environment.
Until 2005 walrus hunting in West Greenland
Future large-scale hydrocarbon exploration might