The State of Circumpolar Walrus Populations

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25 while mandatory, is rare (APNN 2014b cited in Ugarte 2015). Management authorities set quotas assuming a struck and loss rate of 3% in Baffin Bay, 15% in West Greenland and 11% in East Greenland. These rates are based on information provided by hunters and have not been independently verified. There is a carry-over system whereby unused harvests can be transferred from one year to the next and overharvests are subtracted from the following year (Ugarte 2015). Habitat Protection In 2003 the Greenland Home Rule Government adopted a new Nature Protection Act (Landstings Act no 29 of 18 December 2003 on the Protection of Nature) (Government of Greenland 2003) to protect biological diversity, ensure that exploitation is sustainable, and implement international agreements on the conservation of nature under Greenlandic law. This protection is to be based on ecological sustainability in accordance with the precautionary principle and thereby affords some protection to walruses and their habitats. The Greenland Mineral Resources Act and other rules, regulations, and guidelines (Government of Greenland 2009), also stipulate a range of measures for protecting nature and the environment (Government of Greenland 2016). The probability of future large-scale exploration for hydrocarbons offshore Greenland is high, and such exploration can include activities that affect walruses and their habitat. Applications to conduct hydrocarbon exploration must include an environmental impact assessment (Wiig et al. 2014). Before opening new areas for exploration and initiating a licensing process the Greenland Government has been conducting its own Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments (Boertmann et al. 2013). These assessments have been completed for eastern Baffin Bay (Boertmann et al. 2009a), southeastern Baffin Bay - Davis Strait - northern Labrador Sea (Mosbech et al. 2007; Merkel et al. 2012; Boertmann et al. 2013; Frederiksen et al. 2012), and Northeast Greenland (Boertmann et al. 2009b; Boertmann and Mosbech 2012). Future hydrocarbon exploration might adversely impact all three walrus populations that use Greenland waters (Wiig et al. 2014). There are licenses for exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Greenland Sea but so far only seismic testing is taking place (M. Frost, WWF Greenland, pers. comm.). The Melville Bay Nature Reserve, created in June 1980 in northwestern Greenland (Government of Greenland 1989), and the National Park of North and East Greenland, established July 1974 (Government of Greenland 1992), both offer some habitat protection for terrestrial walrus haulouts but their boundaries follow the coast and do not extend to offshore waters (Wiig et al. 2014). However, guidelines and marine protection zones have been established to prevent or limit impacts of summer and fall (mid-June through October) seismic surveys on walruses in both
26 northwestern and northeastern Greenland (Kyhn et al. 2011). There is extensive exploration for minerals within the park – most recently the plans to develop a large-scale zinc and lead mine by Ironbark Zinc Ltd. at Citronenfjord (Ironbark Zinc Limited and Orbicon A/S. 2015; http://ironbark.gl/; M. Frost, WWF Greenland, pers.comm.). This development would involve shipping via the Northeast Water (NEW) and increase risk of oil spills in the region. Residents of the Ittoqqortoormiit/Scoresby Sound area with a hunting license are allowed to conduct traditional hunting inside the national park and it is not explicitly stated that walruses cannot be taken during such hunting activity (Wiig et al. 2014). In anticipation that losses of Arctic sea ice will influence shipping activities and routes in the future, the Danish Center for Environment and Energy and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources have identified vulnerable marine areas in Greenland (Christensen et al. 2012). Future shipping changes are likely to be driven by natural resource development and regional trade. The report identifies and ranks marine areas vulnerable to shipping. The North Water Polynya and Disko Bay-Hellefiskebanke are identified as the most vulnerable (Priority 1) areas and the Northeast Water also ranks high. Norway (Svalbard) Hunt management Norway (including Jan Mayen and Svalbard) does not allow the hunting of walruses. Commercial hunting was banned in 1952 in response to very large harvests by Norwegians in Northwest Greenland in 1949 (n=623) and 1951 (1,251) (Anon. 1952; Øritsland 1973; Witting and Born 2005; Wiig et al. 2014). When Denmark and Norway discussed these catches they concluded that walruses were so depleted that they could not sustain the Norwegian harvest and, in 1952, a Royal Decree, in accordance to the Norwegian Sealing Law of 1951, gave a complete protection to walruses (Anon. 1952; Øritsland 1973). This law applied to “sealing inside the Norwegian fishery limit, and to sealing carried out by Norwegian citizens, inhabitants of the country or by Norwegian companies and other organizations outside the Norwegian fisheries limit”. (See also section below on International Agreements: Norwegian-Soviet Sealing Agreement of 1958 (UN 1958)). Habitat Protection Walrus haulouts at Svalbard are well documented (Gjertz and Wiig 1994, Lydersen et al. 2008; Kovacs et al. 2014) and most are within protected areas (WWF 2006; Wiig et al. 2014). In 2008 regulations protecting the Northeast Svalbard and Southeast Svalbard nature reserves in eastern
Page 1 and 2: REPORT © Mikhail Cherkasov / WWF-R
Page 3 and 4: 2 ABSTRACT The walrus (Odobenus ros
Page 5 and 6: 4 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The WWF Arctic
Page 7 and 8: 6 beginning ca. 50,000 yBP that lim
Page 9 and 10: 8 Walruses from the Foxe Basin stoc
Page 11 and 12: 10 al. 2003). These differences coi
Page 13 and 14: 12 under favourable environmental c
Page 15 and 16: 14 appeared to be male. Crude measu
Page 17 and 18: 16 comparable data for proper asses
Page 19 and 20: 18 (Fay 1982). The walruses that ar
Page 21 and 22: 20 A joint U.S.-Russia survey, with
Page 23 and 24: 22 for the conservation of walruses
Page 25: 24 provisions for walrus protection
Page 29 and 30: 28 Franz Josef Land was discovered
Page 31 and 32: 30 USFWS 2014). The population is c
Page 33 and 34: 32 they return from hunting trips (
Page 35 and 36: 34 The USFWS has also developed gui
Page 37 and 38: 36 how many walruses are represente
Page 39 and 40: 38 (www.iucn.org/about/). The IUCN
Page 41 and 42: 40 Atlantic Walruses In Canada, the
Page 43 and 44: 42 Pacific walruses The primary sou
Page 45 and 46: 44 Foxe Basin (BIMC 2012). It has b
Page 47 and 48: 46 define shipping channels, season
Page 49 and 50: 48 Alaska may be a successful manag
Page 51 and 52: 50 of the population (Born et al. 1
Page 53 and 54: 52 In the Bering and Chukchi seas,
Page 55 and 56: 54 Garlich-Miller et al. (2011) ass
Page 57 and 58: 56 Hamilton et al. (2014) assessed
Page 59 and 60: 58 Canadian High Arctic - Northwest
Page 61 and 62: 60 2014a, b; Lindqvist et al. 2016)
Page 63 and 64: 62 reproduction and survival rates,
Page 65 and 66: 64 Jurisdictions with walrus popula
Page 67 and 68: 66 REFERENCES Allen, J.A. 1880. His
Page 69 and 70: 68 Boertmann, D., A. Mosbech, D. Sc
Page 71 and 72: 70 Chernook, V.I., C. Lydersen, D,M
Page 73 and 74: 72 Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M.
Page 75 and 76: 74 Galicia, M.P., G.W. Thiemann, M.
Page 77 and 78:
76 Environmental Ltd., Edmonton AB
Page 79 and 80:
78 Collection of scientific papers
Page 81 and 82:
80 University of Guelph, Ontario, C
Page 83 and 84:
82 Noren S.R., M.S. Udevitz, and C.
Page 85 and 86:
84 Phillipa, J.D.W., F.A. Leighton,
Page 87 and 88:
86 Shitova M., M. Babushkin, A. Bol
Page 89 and 90:
88 Swenson, J.E., A. Bjørge, K. Ko
Page 91 and 92:
90 Witting, L. and E. Born. 2014. P
Page 93 and 94:
92 Figure 2. Atlantic walruses in F
Page 95 and 96:
Figure 4. Map of Atlantic walrus po
Page 97 and 98:
TABLES Table 1. Assessment of Atlan
Page 99 and 100:
98 Population 1 Stock or area 2 Sto
Page 101 and 102:
100 Table 2. Assessment of Pacific
Page 103 and 104:
102 Table 3. Conservation status of
Page 105 and 106:
104 Table 4. Summary of primary wal
Page 107 and 108:
106 Country Subspecies Hunt managem
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
112 Subspecies Population 1 Knowled
Page 115:
114 Subspecies Population 1 Knowled
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The State of Circumpolar Walrus Populations

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