Polar Bears Proceedings of the 18Th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska Compiled and Edited by George M
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Polar Bears Proceedings of the 18th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska Compiled and edited by George M. Durner, Kristin L. Laidre, and Geoffery S. York Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.63 Polar Bears Proceedings of the 18th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska Polar Bears Proceedings of the 18th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska Compiled and edited by George M. Durner, Kristin L. Laidre, and Geoffery S. York The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organisations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2018 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Durner, G.M., Laidre, K.L., and York, G.S. (eds.) (2018) Polar Bears: Proceedings of the 18th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. xxx + 207 pp. Citation of chapters: Laidre, K.L., Born, E.W., Ugarte, F., Dietz, R., and Sonne, C. (2018). Research on polar bears in Greenland 2009–2016. Pages 95-111 in Durner, G.M., Laidre, K.L., and York, G.S. (eds.) Polar Bears: Proceedings of the 18th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 7–11 June 2016, Anchorage, Alaska. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1900-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.SSC-OP.63.en Cover photo: A polar bear and her two yearlings on the sea ice in southeast Greenland, March 2015. Photo by Kristin Laidre. Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0002 www.iucn.org/resources/publications http://pbsg.npolar.no/en/index.html Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................vii List of participants ................................................................................................................................... viii Agenda .......................................................................................................................................................... xi Minutes ...................................................................................................................................................... xiv 2016 Status Report on the World’s Polar Bear Subpopulations ........................................................... 1 Management on Polar Bears in Canada, 2009–2016 ........................................................................... 33 Research on Polar Bears in Canada, 2009–2015 .................................................................................. 68 Management on Polar Bears in Greenland, 2009–2016 ...................................................................... 84 Research on Polar Bears in Greenland, 2009–2016 ............................................................................. 95 Management on Polar Bears in Norway, 2009–2016 ........................................................................ 112 Research on Polar Bears in Norway, 2009–2016 ............................................................................... 125 Management and Research on Polar Bears in Russia, 2009–2016 .................................................. 137 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Management and Conservation on Polar Bears, 2010–2016 ...... 151 U.S. Geological Survey Research on Polar Bears, 2010–2016 ......................................................... 172 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 203 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 204 Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 207 Foreword Following the First International Scientific Declines in the extent of the sea ice have Meeting on the Polar Bear which was held in accelerated since the last meeting of the group Fairbanks, Alaska in 1965, the Polar Bear in 2009, unprecedented ice retreat in 2012. Specialist Group was formed to coordinate Habitat degradation and loss are already research and management of polar bears. Eight negatively affecting polar bears in some parts of years following the First Scientific Meeting, the their range, and unabated global warming will ‘Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears ultimately threaten polar bears everywhere. and Their Habitat’ was signed by the However, humand-induced threats to polar Governments of Canada, Denmark, Norway, bears will occur at different rates and times the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the across their range, meaning that conservation United States. Article VII of the Agreement and management of polar bears will be even states: “The Contracting Parties shall conduct more challenging in the future. Previous national research programmes on polar bears, proceedings included a Status Report for each particularly research relating to the of the world’s subpopulations, which focused conservation and management of the species. largely on the known or unknown status as it They shall as appropriate coordinate such related to harvest. In the Status Report of these research with research carried out by other 18th Proceedings, we follow the path set by the Parties, consult with other Parties on the 15th Proceedings in providing a comprehensive management of migrating polar bear assessment of all threats to the status of each populations, and exchange information on polar bear subpopulation. research and management programmes, research results and data on bears taken.” A note on the use of the terms population As part of their commitment to fulfil and subpopulation the intent of the Agreement, representatives of all five signatory nations, together with invited Following the usage adopted in the 14th specialists, attended the 18th Working Meeting Proceedings, we use the term population for all of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group the polar bears in the Arctic. This decision is that was held 7–11 June 2016 in Anchorage, based on their biology, as polar bears roam over Alaska, and hosted by the Alaska Unit of the large areas and genetic structuring is low even United States National Park Service. In this between areas far apart. However, in earlier regular working meeting, representing research issues and in several publications, population and management efforts by the signatory has been used to term more local management nations for the years 2009–2016, the Specialist units. Here those are termed subpopulations. Group reviewed overall progress since the The boundaries between these subpopulations previous regular working meeting will always be based on current knowledge, thus (Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009), and identified boundaries may change as more complete priorities for future studies. knowledge on their ecology becomes available. As with the previous 17 proceedings, This is especially so in less studied areas such as the 18th Proceedings of this regular working the Russian Arctic, where our view of what the meeting demonstrate a continued international real subpopulations or management units are, effort by representatives from each of the and to what degree they interact or are a part of Range States to increase knowledge and inform the neighbouring nations’ subpopulations, may management decisions needed to conserve change in the future. polar bears in a changing Arctic. The group confirmed the conclusion from previous The Editors: meetings that the greatest challenge to G.M. Durner conservation of polar bears is ecological change K.L. Laidre in the Arctic resulting from climatic warming. G.S. York vi Executive Summary During 7–11 June 2016 members of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG), and invited specialists, including scientists and managers from Canada, Greenland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and the United States, met in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, for the 18th regular working meeting of the PBSG. The material within these Proceedings represents a summary for 2009–2016 on the state of knowledge and conservation concerns for polar bears throughout their range. The difficulties in studying a species