The State of Circumpolar Walrus Populations

24
provisions for walrus protection are unknown.
Greenland (Denmark)
Hunt management
Walrus stocks in Greenland have been hunted for the past millennium (Wiig et al. 2014 and
references therein). Commercial hunting of Atlantic walruses was prohibited in Greenland in 1956
(Anon. 1956a) but licensed hunts continue for subsistence (Wiig et al. 2014). From early 1900s
through 2005 walrus hunting in West Greenland was regulated by limiting the hunting season
and hunting methods but there were no catch quotas in place (Born et al. 1994, 1995). On 1 June
1951, walruses in East Greenland, north of 74°24’N, received complete protection from harvesting
under a decree from the Danish Ministry of State Affairs (Born et al. 1997). The decree also made
the island of Sandøen, in Young Sound, a game preserve, prohibiting access to protect a wellknown
walrus haulout.
Parliament Act no. 12 of 29 October 1999 (Anon. 1999) set the current framework for regulating
fishing and hunting in Greenland, with ministerial orders that regulate the details for single
species such as the walrus. In 2006, a quota system was established by executive order for
walruses (Anon. 2006). These annual hunting quotas are based on the recommendations of
scientific assessments from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) and North
Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO), using recent population estimates to allow
population growth from a depleted population, and taking into account harvests in Nunavut from
shared stocks and estimates of loss (Wiig et al. 2014). The Hunting Committee is also consulted
(M. Frost, WWF Greenland, pers. comm.). Under the series of executive orders issued in 2006
and still in force, adult females and calves are protected except in the Qaanaaq area (Northwest
Greenland) where walrus hunting traditionally has been, and still is, of great importance to the
hunting community; walruses hauled out on land are completely protected; there is a year-round
ban on hunting south of 66°N; and walruses must be harpooned with floats attached before
receiving the finishing shot to reduce hunting losses from sinking (Wiig et al. 2014 and references
therein). Only full-time hunters are allowed to apply for a license to hunt walruses, and these
licenses are non-transferable (Ugarte 2015). There are also limits on the hunting seasons for each
stock and on the maximum size of vehicle (e.g., boat) and minimum rifle caliber that can be used.
Reporting of the sex, age class, and harvest date of harvested walruses has been mandatory since
1994 (Wiig et al. 2014).
The current control system is considered largely effective in ensuring the quotas are applied and
that reporting is correct (Wiig et al. 2014). But, reporting of animals that are struck and then lost,