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U.S. & Wildlife Service Marine Bulletin Vol. 9, No. 1 Polar , and Spring 2010 News for Harvest Taggers

Tagger Profile When it comes to making In This Issue: the most of every day in Shishmaref, Davis Sockpick is Tagger Pofile ...... 2 at the top of the list. Goodbye to Larry Kritchen ...... 2 Davis loves to get out and enjoy. If snow is on the Tagger’s Notebook ...... 2 ground he is out on his Polaris. If the inlet is ice free, ANSOCC: The New he is out in a boat he most Co-management Committee ...... 2 likely made himself. He really enjoys and subsisting Bilateral Committee from the bounty of marine Meets for the First Time ...... 3 , ducks, caribou and musk oxen. He is also quite Polar Bear Tagging Continues skilled at bringing home the in the ...... 3 occasional or New Walrus from the nearby hills. Program Leader ...... 4 Davis has been tagging polar Walrus Listing for the State and then Progress Report ...... 4 the USFWS since the 1980s and walrus for the USFWS Walrus Population since 1997. Estimate Released ...... 5 He is a firm believer in Russians Meet with the communication of North Slope Villages ...... 6-7 local knowledge about the health and availability of Harvest Numbers ...... 8 subsistence . He participates in information exchange between hunters, communities and agencies such as the USFWS and the The mission of the U.S. State of . Davis also Fish and Wildlife Service keeps excellent records about the use and importance of is working with others these animals to the local to conserve, protect, and community. enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their Thank you Davis for helping to ensure that the Shishmaref for the continuing benefit subsistence way of life of the American people. continues for countless future generations! Brad Benter / USFWS USFWS / Benter Brad Davis Sockpick at this year’s Rondy. People News ANSOCC: The New Sea Otter Farewell Old Friend! By: John Trent Co-management Committee By Doug Burn At the age of 81, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife that the new sea otter committee long-time Service joined four Alaska will actively work on pressing Cordova Native Organizations to create co-management issues. “These a new Alaska Native Sea Otter include implementing a recovery sea otter Co-management Committee in plan for the threatened southwest tagger Alaska. The four Alaska Native Alaska population of sea Larry organizations participating in and addressing competition for Kritchen ANSOCC are the Marine by both people and sea departed Mammal Commission, Cook otters in southeastern Alaska.” he this life on Inlet Council, said. February Central Council of and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Co-management is sometimes Brad Benter/USFWS Brad 16, 2010. and the Sitka Marine Mammal called “shared decision making.” Mr. Kritchen was a “plank Commission. The remaining It is authorized, in this case, owner,” a founding member, regions where sea otters live have under Section 119 of the Marine of the MTRP when it began in been invited and are welcome to Mammals Protection Act. Once join ANSOCC in the future. The ANSOCC is up and running as 1989. He and his wife Kathleen service is looking forward to re- a co-management committee, may actually have tagged more establishing ties with sea otter annual cooperative agreements subsistence-harvested sea otters subsistence hunters and working will be put in place between the for FWS than anyone else in collaboratively on sea otter co- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska. Larry Kritchen was a management issues. and Alaska Native Organizations Cordova resident for nearly 60 for the conservation and co- years, a very fine fur trapper Douglas Burn the senior sea management of the subsistence in his own right and an overall otter biologist for USFWS says uses of sea otters. great Alaskan. We miss him already! The MTRP sea otter tagging tradition is now continued in Cordova by Joe Kompkoff.

Tagger’s Notebook Davis ©R. Some Tips to Remember If you do not tag many animals, certificates that you send in or Village taggers should not tag mail in your completed give us a call at 1-800-363-5148. beach-found ivory or bones for tagging certificate immediately non-Natives. If someone asks you after you tag. This helps Brad and Stuff wears out or occasionally to do this, call John or Brad and John keep up-to-date records for gets lost. Do you need a new we will make arrangements to tag your area. It also helps us pay you measuring tape, drill bits or those items at the nearest U.S, sooner! perhaps a drill? Give us a call. Fish and Wildlife Service office. Always protect your tags and If you do a lot of tagging for us, The MTRP harvest information tagging books by storing them in a mail in your completed white tag that you provide is critically safe place. book certificates at least once a important for the management month. of polar bears, and sea Stop by for coffee! If you happen otters in Alaska. It is also used to to be in Anchorage, give John Do you need more prepaid mail document and protect subsistence (786 3815) or Brad (786 3980) a envelopes? We are glad to send hunting needs. This means that call. We are always glad to see and them to you. Enclose a note the work you do for us is very catch up with our taggers. with your latest batch of white important and much appreciated!

2 Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 Polar Bear News Polar Bear Tagging Continues in the Chukchi Sea By Karyn Rode For a third spring season After the 2010 capture biologists from the U.S. Fish and season ends, data Wildlife Service and the U.S. analysis begins. As the Geological Survey are capturing results become available, and releasing polar bears in the biologists will share Chukchi Sea. The work is being and discuss them with done from the Red Mine Port participating nearby and Kotzebue between March 15 communities as well and May 1, 2010. as the Alaska Nanuuq Commission and the new USFWS The purpose of this work is to U.S.- Scientific This 1,260 pound male has a head and describe the movement patterns, Working Group. Polar neck shaped like a traffic cone, so a satellite distribution, use, condition, bear biologists have collar will not stay on his neck. The big bear health and feeding of worked closely with provided measurements and samples before he polar bears in the Chukchi Sea. In these organizations to recovered and went his way. 2008 and 2009 biologists captured explain the study and to 79 bears altogether. Now in 2010, develop “No Fly Zones” intended unsustainable levels of human- 14 female and no male bears are to avoid disturbing subsistence caused deaths from combined wearing satellite collars that hunters out on the ice. illegal killing in Russia and provide locations every two days. subsistence harvest in Alaska, Measurements and biological Polar bears in the Chukchi Sea loss due to climate samples are collected from every face a number of conservation change; and future petroleum bear before it is released. challenges including potentially exploration.

New Bilateral Polar Bear Commission Begins Harvest Review By Karyn Rode The new U.S-Russia Bilateral The two American members of the aboriginal people in Russia and Polar Bear Commission met for Commission are Charlie Johnson, Amirkhan Amirhanov from the the first time in Moscow Russia Executive Director of the Alaska Ministry of Natural Resources on September 9, 2009. The Nanuuq Commission and Geoff and Environment. purpose of the commission is to, Haskett, Regional Director “Coordinate measures for the of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife The four-person Bilateral conservation and study of the Service in Alaska. There are also Commission then appointed Alaska-Chukotkan population of two Russian members: Sergey a larger Scientific Working polar bears.” Kavriy representing Chukotkan Group. The top priority for this working group is to determine how many polar bears can be safely harvested from the Alaska- Chukotkan polar bear population shared by Russia and the . The Scientific Working Group held its first meeting in Anchorage in March 2010. Harvest recommendations for the Alaska- Chukotkan polar bears will then First Bilateral Polar Bear Commission meeting at Moscow. Standing in the front be discussed by the Bilateral row center and wearing ties, are three of the four Commission members. They are Commission when it meets (L to R) Geoff Haskett, Amirkhan Amirhanov and Sergey Kavriy. Illness again this-coming June, also in prevented Charlie Johnson of Nome from attending. Anchorage.

Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 3 Walrus News

New Walrus Program Leader Dr. Jim MacCracken is the new After a 20 year absence, Jim and management. He has worked Walrus Program Leader in his family are glad to be back in for state and federal agencies, the Office of Marine Mammal Alaska. Jim’s wife, Maureen, has universities, and private Management. relatives from the Bethel area corporations. (grandmother) and her father still lives in his “I remember one of my homestead cabin along professors at Colorado State the Tanana River across University saying that one of the from Fairbanks. They had five keys to a good life was having previously lived in Palmer, a wide range of experiences, both Eagle River, Fairbanks, professionally and personally”, and Cordova. While in said Jim. “I have been able to do Fairbanks, they often that professionally, not only with a helped Maureen’s Father variety of organizations, but also with subsistence hunting with the and their habitats and fishing, and Jim took that I have worked on, ranging over his trap line on the from stream insects, to , and Tannana Flats for several now walrus.” winters. “I have a lot to learn about Jim has over 30 years walrus, walrus hunting and experience in wildlife co-management with the Native and fish research and communities, and I’m looking forward to that,” Jim MacCracken observed. Walrus Listing Progress Report By Jim MacCracken In the last issue of the Marine not, but did comment on whether decision by September 10, 2010 Mammal Bulletin (Fall 2009) we hunters were seeing more or about whether to list walruses noted that the Service was well fewer walruses each year. Most under the ESA. The Service is into the 60-day public comment villages reported seeing the same currently developing a status period that closed November or more, with a few seeing less, review that will contain a 9, 2009. We received numerous but those observations were very summary of all the information comments from a variety of people dependent on ice conditions. on walruses, including public and organizations, including The Service will be making a comments that will be used each member-village of in making a listing the Eskimo Walrus decision. Commission (EWC) about whether to list Pacific The status review walruses as “Threatened” and the listing or ”Endangered” under recommendation will the be published in the Act (ESA). Federal Register. You can keep track of this Overall, comments process by visiting ranged from pleas to list http://alaska.fws.gov/ walrus as endangered fisheries/mmm/walrus/ to those suggesting that wmain.htm, or you listing was not needed. can call our Marine The comments from the Mammals Management EWC villages did not Office at 907/786 3800 directly address whether or 800/362 5148. walrus should be listed or USFWS

4 Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 Walrus News 129,000 Walruses in 2006 By Jim MacCracken Last January the Service in an estimate of 129,000 walruses. What this means is that there announced the results of the However, this is a minimum are problems in counting walrus walrus population estimate number for several reasons. that we did not consider and may that it did in 2006. Lead be able to correct in the future, Walrus Program Biologist Jim Most importantly, the weather that walrus behavior and their MacCracken offers his thoughts prevented counting walrus in a environment may simply not on what this estimate may really large area of Bristol Bay, where allow for a good count, and that mean lots of walrus were spotted on the it will take a very large change way home! In addition, we have in the walrus population before Pacific walruses are hard to count. not yet taken into account areas we can say that it is declining They can be found throughout an not surveyed within the larger or increasing based on similar extremely large area, they move area where walrus were counted, surveys in the future. around a lot, they’re often under two things that could easily double , and weather can ground the number. We also learned several valuable airplanes and make it hard to lessons and made several see. Because of these things, it Because the population number technological advances that will is impossible to count each and is based on a sample and also be important in the future. There every walrus. because it estimated numbers currently is a lot of interest among of walruses in the water and U.S. and Russian walrus biologists In the 2006 survey we tried to those hard to see on the ice--how in applying that information to correct for these problems by close it is to the true number is conducting fall surveys when most counting smaller areas that were not known. One way to judge walrus are using land haul outs. similar to areas not counted, by any number that came from a Surveys in the fall when walrus taking into account animals that sample is to calculate a confidence are concentrated along the coast were underwater, and by solving interval. The confidence interval have several advantages, but also some “detectability” problems for the 2006 survey was roughly several challenges. Ideas from with measurements of the heat 55,000 to 500,000 animals, a very both Alaskan and Russian hunters given off by walruses hauled out large range! can help to overcome some of on the ice. Doing all this resulted these challenges. USFWS Walruses were both digitally photographed and detected by their body heat.

Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 5 People News

Russians Meet with North Slope Villages By: Jessica Carie In early February 2010, Joel The tour provided the opportunity The exchange was supported Garlich-Miller and Jessica for discussions between coastal by the FWS, World Wildlife Carie in the Office of Marine Chukchi Sea village residents Fund and the North Slope Mammals Management organized from both Chukotka, Russia and Borough Department of Wildlife community meetings in Point Alaska about emerging walrus Management. Special thanks go to , Point Lay, Wainwright, and and polar and Williams and Geoff York Barrow. Four Russians and seven management issues. at the World Wildlife Fund and to U.S scientists and translators Michael Pederson, North Slope traveled together to the villages. Borough Department of Wildlife Management.

In the North, everyone loves a maktak (muktuk) feast (Wainwright). Jessica Carie/USFWS

The Barrow audience listens and comments. Jessica Carie/USFWS

Exchanging marine mammal conservation ideas in Barrow. Jessica Carie/USFWS

6 Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 People News

For both Barrow hosts and Russian guests, it’s cold! Jessica Carie/USFWS

Russian biologist Anatoly Kochnev has observed walruses and polar bears in Chukotka for many years. Jessica Carie/USFWS

Sundance: celebrating the return of the sun at Barrow. WWF Program

Chukotkan hunters dance to the beat of Wainwright drums. Jessica Carie/USFWS

Marine Mammal Bulletin - Spring 2010 7 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service STANDARD PRESORT Marine Mammals Management Office POSTAGE AND FEES 1011 E. Tudor Road - MS341 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 PAID U.S DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Phone: 907/ 786 3800 Toll Free: 800/ 362 5148 PERMIT G-77 Fax: 907/ 786 3816 Web: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm

How Many Did You Catch? Total Reported Alaska Subsistence Harvests for the Last Five Years** 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 5-yr Avg. Northern Sea Otter 907 710 704 658 866 769 Pacific Walrus 1197 1148 1829 1277 1643 1419 Polar Bear 58 73 54 29 20 47 **These are harvest statistics from your tagging certificates.

For further information, contact: Brad Benter - MTRP Coordinator U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service John Trent - Supervisor http://alaska.fws.gov Rosa Meehan - Chief, Marine Mammals Management May 2010