Polar Bears Proceedings of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 29 June-3 July 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark Compiled and edited by Martyn E. Obbard, Gregory W. Thiemann, Elizabeth Peacock and Terry D. DeBruyn Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 43 ������������������� �������������������� Polar Bears Proceedings of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 29 June-3 July 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark Polar Bears Proceedings of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/ SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 29 June-3 July 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark Compiled and edited by Martyn E. Obbard, Gregory W. Thiemann, Elizabeth Peacock and Terry D. DeBruyn Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 43 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 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 organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2010 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized 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: Obbard, M.E., Thiemann, G.W., Peacock, E., and DeBruyn, T.D. (eds) (2010). Polar Bears: Proceedings of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29 June–3 July 2009. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. vii + 235 pp. Citation of chapters: Born, E.W., Sonne, C., and Dietz, R. (2010). Research on polar bears in Greenland 2005– 2009. Pages 135-148 in M.E. Obbard, G.W. Thiemann, E. Peacock, and T.D. DeBruyn (eds.) Polar Bears: Proceedings of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29 June–3 July 2009. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN ISBN: 978-2-8317-1255-0 Cover photo: Adult female polar bear accompanied by two yearlings, Hudson Bay coast near Churchill, Manitoba. (©Martyn E. Obbard, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Publications Services Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0020 [email protected] www.iucn.org/publications Also available from: IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group at: http://pbsg.npolar.no/en/index.html Contents Dedication (Nils Are Øritsland) . ……………………………………………………………………...vi Foreword ………………………………………………………………………. ……………………..1 List of participants …………. …………………………………………………………………………3 Agenda ………………………………………………………………………………………………...7 Minutes of the 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group …………………………………………………………………………………..10 Status of the polar bear ……………………………………………………………………………….31 Resolutions, 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group …………………………………………………………………………………..81 Press release, 15th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group ………………………………………………………………………………….85 Polar bear management in Canada, 2005–2008 ……………………………………………………….87 Research on polar bears in Canada, 2005–2009 ……………………………………………………...115 Polar bear management in Greenland, 2005–2008 …………………………………………………...133 Research on polar bears in Greenland, 2005–2009 …………………………………………………..135 Polar bear management in Norway, 2005–2008 ……………………………………………………...149 Polar bear research in Norway, 2005–2009 …………………………………………………….…….157 Polar bear management and research in Russia, 2005–2009 ……………………………………….…165 Polar bear research on Wrangel Island and in the Central Arctic Basin ………………………………171 Polar bear conservation in the United States, 2005–2009 ……………………………………………179 U.S. Geological Survey polar bear research, 2005–2009 ……………………………………………...199 Appendix 1. Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and Their Habitat …………………….219 Appendix 2. Annex E, Resolution on Special Protection Measures and a recent Related resolution from the PBSG ………………………………………………………………221 Appendix 3. Recent publications and reports, 2005–2009 …………………………………………...223 Appendix 4. Numbers allocated to each country for eartags and tattoos used in polar bear management and research …………………………………………………………….235 Nils Are Øritsland (1939–2006) Nils Øritsland at Svalbard, 1969 Professor Dr Philos Nils Are Øritsland, a gifted Halvmåneøya in Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic scientist who contributed much original thought in order to study polar bears. While there, he and research to polar bears, died unexpectedly on conducted a series of physiological experiments on November 24, 2006 after a short illness. He heat balance in live bears, especially cubs, the participated actively in several meetings of the results of which are still fundamental to all IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group and subsequent studies of heat balance in polar bears. continued collaborative studies with several Later, in 1971-1974, he performed a series of members on a variety of research projects on polar ingenious and original physiological experiments bears right up to his untimely death. With his on heat balance in polar bears in Churchill, passing, the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Canada. Included in his research during this Group lost a highly valued colleague and friend, as period were some ground-breaking experiments have the polar bears as well. on the effects of oil on polar bears. Although Throughout his early education and his later there was some controversy about the experiments career, Nils Are was dedicated to Arctic research at the time, over 30 years later his research on that and in particular to studies of the energy balance topic remains the complete basis of our of free-living animals, particularly polar bears and understanding of this significant environmental seals. As a young scientist, in 1968-69, along with threat to wild polar bears. another well-known Norwegian polar bear Through most of his professional career, Nils biologist, Thor Larsen, he spent a whole winter on Are was dedicated to Arctic research and an island in the remote archipelago of continued to pursue his career through both the vi University of Oslo and the Norwegian Polar 1993, though he continued to work there until the Institute, focusing on the energetics of Arctic move was completed in 1999. Through the last mammals. From 1974-84 he was the scientific years before he died, he consulted privately on the leader of a multidisciplinary research program on development of population models for the reindeer under the UNESCO program “Man and management of wildlife. Simultaneously, he Biosphere”. The aim of the program was to continued to work closely with several of the understand the biological basis for the existence of members of the IUCN PBSG on the development the Svalbard reindeer. At the same time, he of a comprehensive population and energetics developed the Bioenergetics Group at the model for polar bears, a work which, sadly, was Zoophysiological Institute, University of Oslo, never completed. which continued to focus on all aspects of energy Nils Are was an unusually gifted scientist and a balance in mammals. truly original thinker. He was also a totally honest Nils Are received his Dr. Philos. degree in 1978 man who remained unafraid to speak his mind, for a thesis entitled, “Some applications of thermal clearly and without rancour. One could not find a values of fur samples in expressions for in vivo heat finer person to call a friend and colleague. He balance”. In 1986 he was honoured by the leaves behind a wonderful and close family as well “Nansen reward” from the University of Oslo for as many scientific colleagues who continue to miss outstanding research in the Arctic. In the period his insights, sense of humour, and simple good 1987–1992 he was Professor in Zoophysiology at companionship very much. At the same time, we the same place. Nils Are was director of the remain grateful for all that he did for us Norwegian Polar Institute from 1991 to 1993. He individually and for his field of science and, of resigned when the Norwegian Parliament decided course, for his long-term research that taught us so to move the institute from Oslo to Tromsø in much about polar bears. Nils Øritsland at the Norwegian Polar Institute vii Foreword Following the First International Scientific Meeting on Arctic and in regions far beyond the Arctic. Previous the Polar Bear which was held in Fairbanks, Alaska in proceedings included a Status Report for each of the 1965, the Polar Bear Specialist Group was formed to world’s subpopulations, which focused largely on the coordinate research and management of polar bears. known or unknown status as it related to harvest. In Eight years following the First Scientific Meeting, the the Status Report of the 15th Proceedings, we provide a ‘Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and more comprehensive assessment of all threats to the Their Habitat’ was signed by the Governments of status of each polar bear subpopulation. Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States. Article VII A note on the use