Walrus Harvest Monitoring On Chukotka in 2000

TECHNICAL REPORT

Authors:

Gennadii Smimov Vladimir Rinteimit Maksim Agnakisyak

Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center

Naukan Production Cooperative

Yupik Society of Eskimos of Chukotka Walrus Harvest Monitoring On Chukotka in 2000

TECHNICAL REPORT

Prepared for

The US Fish and Wildlife Service Marine Mammals Management 1011 E. Tudor Road Anchorage, AK 99503

&

Kawerak Incorporated P.O. Box 948 Nome, AK 99762

Authors:

Gennadii Smimov Vladimir Rinteimit Maksim Agnakisyak

Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center Otke, 56, Anadyr, P.O. Box 29 Chukotka, Russia 689000

Naukan Production Cooperative Lavrentiya Chukotka, Russia 689400

Yupik Society of Eskimos of Chukotka Provideniya Chukotka, Russia 689350 CONTENTS

PARTICIPANT LIST ...... 3

INTRODUCTION ...... 5

1. ORGANIZATION OF WORK ...... 10

1A. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MODEL VILLAGES FOR THE MONITORING PROGRAM ...... 13

2. REGIONAL COORDINATORS' NOTES ...... 16

2.1. VLADIMIR RINTEIMIT (Chukotskii District) ...... 16

2.2. MAKSIM AGNAKISYAK (Provideniya District) ...... 30

3. RESULTS OF THE WALRUS HARVEST MONITORING ON CHUKOTKA IN 2000 ...... 32

3.1. Seasonal Dynamic ofthe Harvest ...... 32

3.2. Age-Sex Composition of the Kill ...... 38

3.3. Analysis of Harvest Losses ...... 40

3 .4. Evaluation of Objectivity of Officially Reported Data and Calculation of Actual Take ...... 42

4. CONCLUSION ...... 43

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 45

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 46

APPENDICES ...... 48

Illustration 1. Map of the research area ...... 49

Illustration 2. Traditional areas of walrus harvesting ...... 50

Illustration 3. Sex composition of harvested walruses for all villages over the course of the season ...... 51

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page I Illustration 4. Seasonal dynamic of sex composition of harvest kills, by village ...... 52

Illustration 5. Age and sex composition of harvest kills on the Chukotka Peninsula in 2000, based on data from biological analyses ...... 53

Illustration 6. Age-sex composition of walrus kills on the coasts of the Chukchii Sea, in the Bering Strait and in the Gulf of Anadyr, based on data from biological analyses ...... 54

Table 1. Final data for Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 ...... 55

Table 2. Average number of walruses taken in one hunting foray ...... 58

Table 3. Age composition of harvested walruses, by village ...... 59

Table 4. Difference between official data and data from monitoring program in 2000 ...... 61

Attachment 1. Harvest Information Form ...... 62

Attachment 2. Monthly Summary Village Report for Harvest ...... 63

Attachment 3. Monthly Summary District Report for Harvest...... 64

Attachment 4. Working Plan for the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 ...... 65

Attachment 5. Instructions for Collecting Teeth from Harvested (Found) Walruses for Determining Age ...... 68

Attachment 6. Walrus Teeth Information Form ...... 69

Attachment 7. "Pacific Walrus as an Object ofTraditional Harvesting among the Native Peoples of Chukotka,'' Speech by Vladimir Rinteimit at the Bering Days Conference, October II, 2000 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA) ...... 70

Attachment 8. Distribution of Equipment Received in 2000 ...... 72

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Pagel PARTICIPANT LIST

Vladimir Rinteimit, Project Organization of field research and co- Coordinator for Chukotskii District, management of project; recruitment and training Deputy Chairman of Naukan of observers (monitors); collection of monthly Production Cooperative and final reports from observers; preparation of (Lavrentiya) summary monthly and final reports for Chukotskii District, and presentation of the reports to the scientific director. Maksim Agnakisyak, Project Organization of field research and co- Coordinator for Provideniya management of project; recruitment and training District, Deputy Chairman of Yupik of observers (monitors); collection of monthly Society of Eskimos of Chukotka and final reports from observers; preparation of summary monthly and final reports for Provideniya District, and presentation of the reports to the scientific director. Gennadii Smimov, Project Scientific leadership; development of research Scientific Director, Head of Marine methods and programs; creation of database; Mammals Study Group at Chukotka laboratory research; preparation of scientific Branch ofTINRO report. Aleksei Ottoi, Observer, foreman Field monitoring and collection of primary on hunting team, village of Lorino, information in the village of Lorino; preparation Chukotskii District of month! y and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. Dmitrii Kymyrovtyn, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Inchoun, information in the village of Inchoun; preparation Chukotskii District of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. Yurii Klirnakov, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Uelen, Chukotskii information in the vi II age of U elen; preparation of District monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. Igor Makotrik, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Novo-Chap lino, information in the village of Novo-Chaplino; Provideniya District preparation of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. Sergei Skhaugye, Observer, village Field monitoring and collection of primary of Sireniki, Provideniya District information in the village of Sireniki; preparation of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. -~-- Nikolai Rultintigreu, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Enmelen, information in the village of Enmelen; Provideniya District preparation of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 3 •

PARTICIPANT LIST (continued) " Sergei Ashkamakin, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Y anrakynnot, information in the village of Y anrakynnot; Provide niya District preparation of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. Andrian Omrukvun, Observer, sea Field monitoring and collection of primary hunter, village of Enurmino, information in the village of Enurmino; Chukotskii District preparation of monthly and final reports, and presentation of reports to district coordinator. •

•

•

•

..

Walrus Harvest 1\Ionitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 4

• INTRODUCTION

For thousands of years, the Pacific walrus has been among the most valued of the

harvested species of marine mammals for the Native peoples along the Asian and American

coasts of the Bering Sea. Prior to the appearance of the first representatives of Western

civilization, balanced communities of humans and animals existed in the Bering region,

with a specific harvesting culture that allowed for the intensive hunting of walruses while

preserving the reproductive potential ofthe population. The first contacts between the Natives

of the Bering region and Europeans clearly led to revolutionary changes in both the material

and spiritual lives of the Natives. The introduction of firearms resulted in more than just

physical changes in hunting technologies. Along with the newly introduced [physical] superiority over powerful prey, it was inevitable that in the consciousness of the ancient

hunter there should arise an internal sense of superiority over creatures whose hunters

previously had to be unfailingly courageous and constantly prepared for unpredictable consequences. The fear that had shaped the personality of the hunter-warrior disappeared.

Pr1:viously unseen goods appeared, getting the ascetic Natives accustomed to Western co 11forts. The logic of the consumer-driven civilization began to break down the Bering pe )pie's complex way of life founded on internal discipline and self-denial, leaving today only remnants of the once highly environmentally focused culture for the enjoyment of tourists with a taste for the exotic.

Over the past 350 years in the Northern Pacific, along with the transformation of the

Native harvesting, both Russian and American commercial operations have harvested wairuses, resulting, at a minimum, in a catastrophic decline in the population of the Pacific walrus (Fay, 1982).

Various direct and indirect indicators point to the beginning of a decline in the population's number in recent years, and this has prompted Russian and American specialists to initiate joint projects to study the Pacific walrus for the purpose of subsequently taking practical steps to manage the population.

Walrus Harvest A1oniloring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 5 Monitoring the harvesting of Pacific walruses in the harvesting areas throughout the entire geographic range of the walruses is one effective instrument for addressing these problems.

The Chukotka Autonomous Region is currently the only region in Russia where walruses are harvested for the personal use of the Native population (Native harvesting). The settlements of the Native residents who actively harvest walruses are located on the coast of the Chukotka Peninsula and along the Gulf of Anadyr. A large portion of the walruses (more than 80 percent of the total take) in recent years has been harvested at eight villages: Enurmino,

Inchoun, Uelen, Lorino, Yanrakynnot, Novo-Chaplino, Sireniki and Enmelen (Illustration I).

In 1999, as part of the Russian-American Agreement on Cooperation in

Environmental Protection (Project No. 02.05-61, "Marine Mammals"), with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife

Management, research was begun to monitor the harvesting of Pacific walruses on Chukotka with the following objectives:

Objective 1: "Include coastal walrus hunters in the resource management program and provide opportunities for training to hunters in the rural settlements of the Chukotskii and Provideniya districts."

Objective 2: "Document the number of harvested walruses in coastal villages in the

Chukotskii and Provideniya districts (Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun, Novo-Chaplino. Sireniki and

Enmelen)."

Objective 3. "Document the age structure (calves, yearlings, adolescents, adults, unidentified) and sex structure (male, female, unidentified) of harvested walruses in the coastal villages of the Chukotskii and Provideniya districts (Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun, Novo­

Chaplino, Sireniki and Enmelen)."

Objective 4: "Document the number of walruses that were struck and lost in coastal villages of the Chukotskii and Provideniya districts (Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun, Novo-Chaplino,

Sireniki and Enmelen)."

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 6 The 1999 research provided important biological information about the portion of

the Pacific walrus population harvested in Chukotka's coastal waters. The research established

that, on the whole, males predominate among the harvested walruses. Substantial differences

were found in the sex composition of the kills in geographically separated harvesting regions.

While males consistently predominated in the harvest in the northern part of the Bering

Strait and in the Chukchii Sea (Lorino, Inchoun and Uelen), while females predominated

throughout the harvesting season, with the exception of October, in the Gulf of Anadyr

(Sireniki and Enmelen). Females were seen to predominate in kills in the southern part of

the Bering Strait (Novo-Chaplino) only during the spring migration, while males made up

to bulk of the harvest in the summer and autumn. The resultant data show the dynamic

changes in the sex composition of the local walrus communities inhabiting Chukotka 's

coasts at different times of the year.

The age composition ofthe kills showed insignificant numbers of calves and yearlings

throughout the entire season, with mature animals predominating from May through

September.

It \Vas established that the official counts of harvesting enterprises in the monitored villages did not include about 20 percent of the walruses actually harvested. Taking this difference into account, the estimated number of walruses harvested on Chukotka by all hunting groups was equal to 1,670 animals.

The number of walruses taken out of the natural population in Chukotka's coastal waters during the harvest, including the actual kill and struck-and-lost animals, was estimated to be 2,060 based on the data, or about 2,300 according to expert estimates.

The regional coordinators and scientific director of the project constantly worked to publicize the goals and objectives of monitoring the walrus harvest on Chukotka. Articles on the project's progress were published in the regional media on Chukotka.

In February 2000, at a meeting of the Science Council of the Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center (ChukotTINRO), Gennadii Smirnov, scientific director

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 7 of the project, presented a scientific report on the results of the monitoring of the walrus harvest on Chukotka. The report was received positively.

In May 2000, Nome, Alaska, hosted a Russian-American working meeting to summarize the results of monitoring of the Pacific walrus harvest on Chukotka and in

Alaska in 1999. Russian participants in the meeting included the regional coordinators for the project, Vladimir Rinteimit and Maksim Agnakisyak; observers (monitors) Igor Makotrik and Aleksei Ottoi; and the scientific director, Gennadii Smirnov. For the purpose of expanding the monitoring of the walrus harvest on Chukotka, it was suggested that one additional village be included in both regions, and that additional observers {monitors) be added in villages with high numbers of harvested walruses (more than 300 animals). At the same time, the goal was set to improve the quality of the work. First, it was decided to start collecting biological samples to determine the precise age composition of the kills. It was recognized that the method of collecting information on harvest losses required improvement. Representatives of the company Kawerak expressed interest in receiving information on the cultural traditions of the Native peoples of Chukotka with regard to walrus harvesting. Participants in the meeting emphasized that it is necessary to provide constant training to the staff of the monitoring program and to work actively to educate people about the project in the villages and regional and district seats in Chukotka, as well as in Alaska. This will promote the rapid achievement of the project's goals regarding the rational use of the Pacific walrus population by people living on both sides of the Bering

Strait.

Monitoring of the walrus harvest on Chukotka continued in 2000. Field monitoring in each of the villages mentioned above was conducted by observers (monitors) from among the sea hunters. Their work was supervised by the regional coordinators, who, on a monthly basis, processed the information they received and sent reports by fax to the scientific director of the project. The organization of the fieldwork is described in more detail in the next chapter of this report.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page8 The Naukan Production Cooperative and Yupik Society of Eskimos of Chukotka

have experience with long-term cooperation with organizations of Native peoples of the

United States for the purpose of studying marine mammals. At the same time, these

organizations are members of the Chukotka Union of Sea Hunters, a major private

organization of Native peoples. This substantially increases the social acceptance of walrus

harvest monitoring among the Native peoples ofChukotka.

For the past five years the Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center

(ChukotTINRO) has been conducting research into marine mammals for the purpose of

supporting marine mammal harvesting as a traditional, necessary activity of Chukotka's

Native peoples. The scale and areas of ChukotTINRO's work have constantly expanded

thanks to active collaboration with Russian and foreign partners.

Financial support for the walrus harvest monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 was

provided by the Kawerak Incorporated and the U.S. National Park Service (Alaska).

The following people participated in the preparation of this report: Gennadii Smirnov,

scientific director (Introduction, Organization ofWork, Brief Description of Model Villages

for the Monitoring Program, Results of Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000,

Conclusion); Vladimir Rinteimit, project coordinator for the Chukotskii District (Organization of Work, Brief Description of Model Villages for the Monitoring Program, Regional

Coordinators' Notes); and Maksim Agnakisyak, project coordinator for the Provideniya

District (Regional Coordinators' Notes).

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 9 1. ORGANIZATION OF WORK

The field work was conducted from May 1 through October 31, 2000, in coastal

villages of the Chukotskii and Provideniya districts, including Enurmino, lnchoun, Uelen,

Lorino, Yanrakynnot, Novo-Chaplino, Sireniki and Enmelen (Illustrations 1 and 2).

The field collection of data was conducted using the walrus harvest monitoring

method employed by the Walrus Harvest Monitoring Program (Marine Mammals

Management, USFWS), adapted to the conditions of the Chukotka project. Most of the

observers (monitors) had experience working on the project in 1999. The observers in the

villages of Enurmino and Yanrakynnot were given an introduction to the objectives of the

Chukotka walrus harvest monitoring project. Prior to the start of the fieldwork, they were

given oral instruction on the methods used in the work, and they received the primary

documents necessary for conducting the walrus harvest monitoring in the villages. They

were given detailed explanations regarding the methodology for collecting information, the

correct method for filling out the working tables and journals (Attachment 1) and the

procedure for reporting to the regional coordinators. On a monthly basis, the observers

provided reports (Attachment 2) to the regional coordinators, who in tum sent summary

reports (Attachment 3) to the scientific director.

Prior to the start of the research in May 2000, detailed discussions were held with the regional coordinators and monitors from the villages of Lorino and Novo-Chaplino regarding the results of the 1999 work and the training in field data collection methods in

Nome, Alaska, organized by the USFWS Marine Mammals Management monitoring service,

with the participation of specialists from ChukotTINRO. The working meeting resulted in the development of a working plan for the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000

Project (Attachment 4). All participants in the meeting were provided with the Walrus Harvest

Monitoring on Chukotka in 1999 report.

Observers for the monitoring program used visual inspection to classify all harvested walruses based on their sex and age (mature, adolescents [two years old or older], yearlings

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 10 and newborns [those born that year]).lnformation was collected on "struck-and-lost" walruses and on the number of hunting forays. In order to make a precise determination of the age composition of the harvested walruses, the observers collected two front lower teeth in accordance with specially developed instructions (Attachment 5). The collected teeth were packed in special envelopes (Attachment 6), with detailed information on the harvested walrus written on the outside on the envelope. The collected teeth were sent to the scientific director, Gennadii Smimov, for analysis and age determination at ChukotTINRO (Anadyr).

The total number of harvested and studied walruses was 850 (Table 1). Age samples were collected from 305 walruses, or 36 percent of all those in the harvested sample.

The analysis of the teeth and the determination of the walruses· age were done in the marine mammals research laboratory at ChukotTINRO. Lengthwise sections of the teeth.

0.5 to 1.0 mm thick, were cut from the teeth along the axial line of the tooth using a specially prepared lathe. After the sections were polished and buffed, they were examined at a magnification of 20-40 times. Determination of age was performed in accordance with the standard methodology (S.Ye. Kelinenberg, G.A. Klevezal, 1967).

The equipment for processing the teeth was provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Service and ChukotTINRO.

At the end of the field season, the field journals were sent to Anadyr, to the scientific director, Gennadii Smirnov, who created a computerized database, statistically processed the data using Microsoft Excel 97 and put together the technical report. Because the primary documents were late in arriving from the Provideniya District, the deadline for writing the report was moved to the beginning of March.

The regional coordinators were assigned the task of visiting each village and presenting the project's program to hunters, local agricultural enterprises and the administrations of the villages. The regional coordinators conducted the monitoring training and educational work in most of the villages (this portion of the work is described in detail in the regional coordinators' notes). Staff members from ChukotTINRO. including Denis

Walrus Harvest lvfonitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 11 Litovka (for Sireniki, Nunligran and Enmelen) and Anatolii Kochnev (Lavrentiya, Uelen,

Inchoun), played an important role in training the monitors. In addition, in July and August,

the scientific director of the project, Gennadii Smirnov, visited the villages ofUelkal, Enmelen

and Provideniya, where he conducted a series of introductory meetmgs with the public and

officials of different levels to discuss the objectives of the monitoring program. Gennadii

Smimov's report on marine mammal research was presented, at the request of the author,

by a Yupik consultant, Igor Zagrebin, at the August 2000 conference of the Chukotka Union

of Sea Hunters, held in Provideniya. In addition, Gennadii Smimov spoke on regional radio

and television, presenting reports on the results of the walrus harvest monitoring in 1999

and the progress to date for 2000.

Kawerak Incorporated and the National Park Service (Alaska) provided material

and financial support for the field research through the regional coordinators, Vladimir

Rinteimit and Maksim Agnakisyak. The regional coordinators handled the payments to the observers in the villages. The laboratory research was financed through the scientific director,

Gennadii Smimov.

In accordance with the established procedure, the monthly financial reports were sent by the regional coordinators and the scientific director by fax to Kawerak.

Payments were made to the regional coordinators and the observers on a monthly basis. The only delays experienced were in delivering funds to the observers due to the absence of transportation between villages.

At the conclusion of the project, the regional coordinators turned in their notes in printed and electronic form (Vladimir Rinteimit: 13 pages of text and tables; Maksim

Agnakisyak: four pages of text) for inclusion in this report.

In May 2000, the regional coordinators received packages from Nome, Alaska, with equipment and consumables for the observers under the Chukotka Walrus Harvest Monitoring

Program. The equipment was divided proportionally among the observers. Information on the distribution of the equipment around Chukotka is included in Attachment 8.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 12 lA. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MODEL VILLAGES FOR THE MONITORING

PROGRAM

Lorino: This is the largest village of Native peoples in the Chukotskii District and in the Chukotka Autonomous Region (Illustration 2-A). Population: 1,397, including I ,252

Chukchis and Eskimos. Residents of villages that have been closed (Nunyamo, Pinakul,

Akkani, Yandogai and others) have come to Lorino at various times. Thirty-nine hunters from the Keper agricultural enterprise (Rosomakha) worked in five teams to harvest walruses in 2000. They had at their disposal four whaleboats, four large canoes, one towing launch and about 30 one-man canoes. All the canoes were prepared by the hunters themselves.

Twenty service rifles (7.62 mm) were used in the harvesting. The agricultural enterprise has its own refrigerator with a capacity of 300 tons for storing the sea hunters' kills and fish. The hunting is done out of two bases,Akkani and Pinakul, and along the coastline near the village.

The monitor in Lorino was, for the second year in a row, Aleksei Ottoi, who was born in 1962 in the village of Akkani into a family of traditional hunters. Even as a schoolboy, he joined his father and brothers in hunting marine animals. He has been harvesting marine animals professionally for 17 years, and he has been a foreman on a sea hunting team since 1993.

Uelen: This is the northeastern-most settlement in Russia. Population: 762, including

687 Chukchis and Eskimos. Fifty-six hunters from the Uelen branch of the Poluostrov

Daurkin agricultural enterprise take part in the harvest, working in five teams and two units.

This branch has four whaleboats, one motorboat and seven large, handmade canoes. and they use 20 rifles (7 .62 mm) for the harvest. Walrus harvesting is done close to the village, at the Inchoun haul-out (Cape Ivantsov), and in the autumn at the Dezhnevo haul-out, where the hunters from the teams ofYa. Vukvutagin and Yu. Nitourgin have a base.

Yurii Klimakov, 37 years old, was the observer for Uelen for the second year.

Klimakov has experience documenting harvested marine mammals.

lnchoun: This village is located 30 kilometers northwest ofUelen. Population: 386 people, including 383 Native inhabitants, primarily Chukchis. Thirty hunters from the

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 13 Inchoun branch of the Poluostrov Daurkin agricultural enterprise take part in the harvest, along with a separate team, Unpener, with 14 people, for a total of 44 people working in five teams. Harvesting is done using five whaleboats, and the hunters are armed with 38 rifles

(7.62 mm). In 2000, using their own resources, the hunters from this branch set up a refrigerator unit with a capacity of 100 tons for storing harvested meat and fish. Primary spring and summer hunting areas are the coastal waters from Cape lnchoun to Cape Chegitun

(Illustration 2-B). During autumn, hunting is conducted near the Inchounskoye and Utenskoye walrus haul-outs. Walruses were harpooned, but in 2000 the majority of the walruses were taken on ice that drifted throughout the summer in the coastal waters.

Dmitrii Kymyrovtyn was the observer for Inchoun for the second year. Dmitrii himself is a sea hunter in one of the teams. He is 37 years old, is from a family oftraditional hunters from lnchoun and has been hunting since childhood.

~~~:=<· This village is located on the north coast of the Chukotka Peninsula, about 200 kilometers north of the village of Lavrentiya. Population: 306 people, of whom

303 are Native residents. The primary walrus harvesting areas are the coastal waters near the village and the haul-out on Cape Serdtse-Kamen, as well as on the beach east of Cape

Neten. Harvesting is conducted by 26 hunters from the Enurmino branch of the Zapolyarye agricultural enterprise, working in three teams. The hunters use three whaleboats and 15 rifles (7.62 mm).

Andrian Omrukvun was selected as the monitor for Enurmino. Andrian was born in

1962 in the village of Enurmino into a family of traditional sea hunters. He was taught how to harvest sea animals beginning as a child, and he has worked as a hunter at an agricultural enterprise. He worked for a while as the head of the Enurmino branch of a state farm.

Andrian Omrukvun therefore has certain experience in collecting information and documenting the harvesting of sea animals.

Novo-Chaplino: This village, located in Tkachen Bay, is 18 kilometers northeast of

Provideniya. The population is primarily Eskimo. Two teams, with 12 sea hunters, harvest

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 14 marine animals. During spring and summer, walrus harvests are conducted primarily around

capes Sivolkut and Chaplino. In the second half of summer and in the autumn, harvesting

moves to the waters around Arakamchechen Island.

Igor Makotrik, 41 years old, is the observer for Novo-Chaplino. He has worked as a

professional sea hunter and team leader since 1976. He sailed to St. Lawrence Island on a

Lund-type boat. He is quite familiar with the habits of marine mammals and weather

conditions in the North.

Sireniki: This village is 35 kilometers west ofProvideniya, on the northeast shore of

the Gulf ofAnadyr. Populated primarily by Native peoples (Chukchis and Eskimos). Sixteen hunters work in two teams to hunt marine animals. Main hunting areas: coastal waters from

Cape Shpanberg in the west to Cape Lesovskii in the east. Thanks to unique hydrological and climatic conditions, hunters from Sireniki frequently venture out to harvest walruses in the winter, too, using skin canoes.

Sergei Skhaugye worked as monitor in Sireniki in 2000, replacing Sergei Gorbunov.

Enmelen: This village is located on the northeastern shore of the Gulf of Anadyr, not far from Cape Bering. Population mostly Chukchis. Eighteen hunters working in three teams harvest marine animals. Primary areas for harvesting walruses in coastal waters from Rudder Bay to

Cape Bering. In some years, hunters from Enmelen, like those in Sireniki, harvest walruses during the winter at the unfrozen Sireniki polynya [an open space of water amidst the sea ice].

Nikolai Rultintigreu, the observer in Enmelen, is 35 years old. He has worked as a rifleman on a sea hunting team since 1980.

Yanrakynnot: This village is located in Sevyavina Strait, not far from the island of

Arakamchechen, where a major walrus haul-out forms during the summer. The population is primarily Chukchis. Most ofthe walruses are harvested around the Arakamchechen haul-out.

Sergei Ashkamakin, a professional sea hunter, was the observer for the monitoring program in Yanrakynnot.

iValrus Harvest A1onitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page /5 2. REGIONAL COORDINATORS' NOTES

2.1. VLADIMIR RINTEIMIT {Chukotskii District)

Preparations for the second stage of the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka

Project began as soon as work was completed on the final monitoring report on the 1999 walrus harvest on Chukotka. At the beginning of April 2000, the head of the project for the

Chukotskii District, M. Zelenskii, and the regional coordinator, V. Rinteimit, met with the observers who did the walrus harvest monitoring work in the Chukotskii District during the

1999 season. The observer for Lorino, Aleksei Ottoi, traveled to Lavrentiya himself. For the meetings with monitors Dmitrii Kymyrovtyn (lnchoun) and Yurii Klimakov (Uelen), the project leaders traveled to those cities at the beginning ofApril. Discussions were held with all the project participants regarding continuing the walrus harvest monitoring work during the 2000 season, and meetings were held with hunters in the villages. Knowing that the geography of the project was to be expanded, a candidate was selected to be the monitor in

Enurmino, Andrian Omrukvun. Discussions were held with him regarding the work to be done, and agreement was reached. Work was done with all the monitors regarding completing the observer's diary, since reporting sheets were used during the 1999 season. These diaries were supposed to be used in 1999, but the monitors did not wind up using them because the diaries did not get to the villages until it was too late. Since the reporting sheets and the diary pages had the same format and content, there were no problems in filling out the forms. The deadlines for sending information on the observations made during a given month remained the same: by the fifth day of the following month, with subsequent written confirmation of the reports. Problems that had arisen during the previous season or that could arise in the new season were discussed with all the monitors. This related to the collection of information from the leaders of sea hunting teams, with consideration given to the possibility of expanding the collection of information regarding the harvesting of walruses.

The results of the season of walrus harvest monitoring on Chukotka for 1999, along with the objectives for the new season, were discussed at the meeting in Nome in May

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 16 2000. The regional coordinator for the Chukotskii District and Lorino monitor Aleksei Ottoi participated in this meeting.

The objectives for the new season were determined to be:

:\To. 1: Include coastal walrus hunters in the resource management program and provide opportunities for training to hunters in the rural settlements of the Chukotskii

District.

No. 2: Document the number of harvested walruses in coastal villages in the

Chukotskii District (Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun and Enurmino ).

No. 3: Document the age and sex (calves, yearlings, adolescents, adults, female, male, unidentified) of each harvested walrus in the coastal villages of Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun and Enurmino.

No. 4: Document the number of walruses that were struck and lost in the coastal villages of Lorino, Uelen, Inchoun and Enurmino.

No.5: Collect teeth from harvested walruses for a determination of the exact age of the creatures.

To implement objectives 1 through 4, the observation diaries, monthly regional observation summary tables and consumable materials were prepared and delivered. No particular problems arose in implementing these objectives, and the observers worked well during the 1999 season.

Objective number 5 is new to the project for 2000. No one in the district had ever collected such samples. Therefore, this point was discussed at greater length, taking into consideration the difference in walrus harvesting between Chukotka and Alaska.

In the Chukotskii District, walrus harvesting is primarily performed by agricultural enterprises, both municipal and small, privately owned farms. In 1998, individuals were granted permission to harvest walruses. The take from the harvest is their private property, and some of the agricultural enterprises collect the teeth and require that they be handed over for storage and for subsequent sale to bone-working enterprises.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 17 The areas where the hunting takes place are often far from the villages, so harvesting

in the region is done from temporary bases. For example, hunters from Lorino have two

bases, on Cape Akkani and the former settlement of Pinakul, and certain teams from Uelen

harvest at the Dezhnevo base. Hunting from the bases is primarily done during the autumn.

The complication here is that the take may be left at the base and then taken out during the

winter. It would be difficult for a monitor to make observations and collect teeth in several

places at once.

During periods of ice flow, walruses are harvested on the ice. The maximum amount of meat is taken from the walruses to feed people, while the bones, including the skull

(without the tusks), are thrown into the water.

The Russian participants suggested several measures that could help the observers in carrying out their work and that could ensure the effective monitoring of the walrus harvest and the collection of teeth:

I. Hire additional monitors from among the hunters for the entire harvesting period.

2. Hire certain hunters for the peak of the walrus harvesting season.

3. Conclude agreements with agricultural enterprises regarding the collection of teeth from harvested walruses.

As a result of the discussion, it was decided to hire certain hunters for the peak of the walrus harvesting season and to have them provide information and to collect teeth. So that the hunters would not violate their obligations to tum over the walrus teeth, it was decided to conclude agreements with agricultural enterprises to hand over the teeth to representatives of ChukotTINRO.

Each of the proposed measures required additional financial outlays. The issue of additional financial outlays for the collection of teeth was also resolved at the meeting.

The problem ofhiring additional monitors arises due to the fact that walrus harvesting is conducted in dispersed locations, and the current monitors are not able to fully cover the collection of information from all the hunters.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 18 There was a lengthy discussion of the issues involved in documenting the collection

of the teeth so that there would be no misunderstandings when the teeth were studied in the

laboratory at ChukotTINRO. It was decided to make certain changes in the observation

diaries so that each pair of collected teeth would be assigned an individual number.

It was recommended that specialists from ChukotTINRO develop instructions for

the monitors regarding the collection of the teeth. These instructions subsequently would be

received and sent on to each monitor (Attachment 5).

The American parties to the discussion assumed responsibility for providing

everything necessary for collecting, packing and studying the walrus teeth.

The joint meeting resulted in the approval of a Working Plan for Walrus Harvest

Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000, which the monitors in the Chukotskii District subsequently

worked to implement throughout the 2000 season.

Implementation of the walrus harvest monitoring project began in the village of

Lorino on May 2, 2000, when Aleksei Ottoi's team killed the first walrus of the season.

Monitors in the other villages began later, depending on when walrus harvesting began in the villages where the monitoring was being carried out.

In July, the regional coordinator, Vladimir Rinteimit traveled to the villages oflnchoun

and Uelen. In lnchoun, he met with monitor D. Kymyrovtyn; in Uelen, with Yu. Klimakov.

He discussed in detail with them the practical aspects of collecting and communicating the

necessary information and of collecting the teeth as the most complex aspect of the walrus

harvest monitoring program. Detailed explanations were given of the procedure for

documenting information in the new diaries and of the labeling of the collected teeth, in

accordance with the documentation principles that were developed. Due to a shortage of

fuel, it was not possible to visit the village of Enurmino to meet with monitor Andrian

Omrukvun.

During the implementation of the project, follow-up meetings were held with monitors

D. Kymyrovtyn, A. Omrukvun and A. Ottoi in the village of Lavrentiya at the beginning of

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 19 August, when they came for a meeting and for a sailing regatta (a sports competition among

hunters). The regional coordinator held a meeting of all the monitors to discuss in detail

issues relating to work on the project. The monitors discussed their experience in collecting

information in their villages. We analyzed possible problems that could arise during the

monitoring work. ChukotTINRO staff member Anatolii Kochnev provided instruction on

the collection of the teeth.

To ensure complete coverage in the collection of information on walrus kills and the

collection of teeth for study, it was recommended that each monitor select an assistant from

among the hunters or hunting team leaders to provide the necessary information for separate

teams. All the monitors independently resolved the issue of selecting additional monitors. Aleksei

Ottoi of Lorino, prior to coming to the meeting in Nome May, selected an additional monitor

who could provide infonnation in the event that a walrus were to be killed in his absence.

The procedure for filing the reports from monitors was established in 1999, and this

system worked with no problems in 2000. The monitors provided information by telephone based on the standard form. The regional coordinator put together a summary table for the entire district and, by the tenth of each month, transmitted the information to the scientific director, Gennadii Smimov, in Anadyr. Whenever possible, the monitors also delivered the collected teeth of harvested walruses to the regional coordinator, and these teeth were also sent to the scientific directors. Monitor Aleksei Ottoi sometimes personally delivered the monthly observation tables and collected walrus teeth to the regional coordinator. Monitor

Yurii Klimakov personal visited the old settlement of Pinakul and delivered to Lavrentiya materials on the monitoring of the walrus harvest to the regional coordinator.

The 2000 walrus harvest monitoring was completed in October 2000. At the end of the season, the monitors provided their observation diaries. Delivery of the dwrie:; 'v\ a:; delayed due to the absence of regular transportation between the villages and the regional center, Lavrentiya. For this reason, the observation diaries were sent to Anadyr only in

January 200 I.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 20 Equipment and financial support for the project came from the Amencans. The observation diaries and various stationery items (pens, pencils, markers, notebooks) were provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They also provided all the necessary equipment for collecting, packing and studying the teeth of the harvested walruses. This included envelopes, packets and Zip lock bags. All of these were used in the collection of information on harvested walruses and of the teeth for study. A portion of the observation diaries was used as scratch pads during the collection of the information. The information was subsequently recorded in the diaries in the proper format.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased equipment for the monitors. Each monitor received a set of clothing and footwear (a table showing how the equipment was distributed is attached as Attachment 8). The monitors used all this equipment during the collection of information. The "Alaska"-type sets and the special footwear are very much needed during the autumn period of the hunt and for the collection of the infom1ation.

During the summer, each monitor received waterproof and cotton suits.

In August 2000, the Naukan Production Cooperative received humanitarian assistance from the government of the North Slope Borough (Barrow, Alaska). Aleksei Ottoi, as one of the best and most productive observers was provided with a Johnson 40 outboard motor. All the equipment was distributed to, and received by, the monitors in a timely manner.

Because the local government does not provide the district's agricultural enterprises with the necessary equipment, it is quite important for the hunter-observers to be provided with various equipment, particularly the outboard motor, and this emphasizes the importance of the work that they are performing.

To assist in implementing the project, the Alaskan Eskimo Walrus Commission provided the Naukan Production Cooperative in the Chukotskii District with a personal grant. A report on the use of this grant was sent each month to the grant-provider.

The head of the project for the Chukotskii District believes that it is very important to provide information on the project to all interested organizations, hunters and heads of

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 21 agricultural enterprises. After arriving back home from the meeting in Nome in May and

June of2000, the regional coordinator took various steps to publicize the project. An interview

was given in the Chukchi language on Chukotka radio. All the monitors were provided with the 1999 technical report on the walrus harvest monitoring on Chukotka, with the recommendation that they show it to the heads of the agricultural enterprises, village administrations, councils of elders and hunters' groups. The heads of localities that are engaged in traditional hunting were also familiarized with all the materials on the walrus harvest monitoring and with documents from 1998 and 1999.

In October 2000, regional coordinator Vladimir Rinteimit attended the annual Bering

Days conference in Anchorage, Alaska. At the conference, he presented a report on the implementation of the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Project. (The report is attached as Attachment 7.)

Notes on the monitoring of the walrus harvest during the 2000 season.

In the 1999 technical report on the monitoring of the walrus harvest, the regional coordinator for the Chukotskii District offered suggestions for improving the implementation of the project. During the discussion regarding these recommendations in Nome, approval was given to several suggestions for improving the monitors' work and the project as a whole. These suggestions included:

I. Monitoring of the harvest was expanded to include one additional village.

2. Should walruses be harvested in November or December, it would be possible to continue the monitoring through the end of the season.

3. In order to improve the effectiveness of the monitoring, it was decided to hire additional assistants for the peak period of the harvest.

4. A translator is available in order to provide expeditious data and to translate certain materials into English.

All these suggestions were put into practice, with the exception of number two for reasons beyond the control of the monitors and the regional coordinator.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 22 Notes on the 2000 walrus harvesting season.

Hunters from Lorino were the first to begin the harvest. At the beginning of May the hunters went out on the fringe ice using snowmobiles and, on May 2, managed to kill a walrus. The harvest for the villages on the Chukotka Sea shoreline began in June, and for

Enurmino, in July. This was a very late start to the harvest for settlements in the Chukotskii

District. Usually the harvest season begins in May. In 2000, the ice did not recede from the shore for a long time. Even when the ice pulled back from the shore, for a long time the current and winds carried it along the shoreline. This prevented boats from going out onto the waters for the harvest. The ice began to approach the shoreline of the Chukchii Sea already in August. Currents and wind continuously carried ice along the shoreline. This complicated the harvesting of the marine mammals. The presence of ice prevented the walruses from reaching their traditional haul-out sites. Moreover, the small number of walruses that hauled out did so on ice.

Economic factors added to the climatic problems for the harvest. In 2000, agricultural enterprises received very limited amounts of fuel because too little was brought in during the navigable period of 1999. Fuel was in critically short supply for the full-fledged harvesting of marine mammals.

The hunters also lacked boats: whaleboats, motorboats and the outboard motors for them.

To take in stores of meat, certain hunters went out to the harvest with a single outboard motor, while in lnchoun they used rowboats. All this together created significant difficulties for the Native people's ofChukotka as they attempted to bring in marine mammal meat for the winter in 2000.

Notes on the walrus hunt on Chukotka.

The old method of hunting walruses - harpooning them at haul-outs - has been preserved on Chukotka. The author of these notes grew up in Inchoun and had the opportunity to watch and participate in walrus harpooning. This always takes place in the autumn, when

Walrus Harvest lvfonitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 23 the haul-outs fill up with large numbers of walruses. Two walrus haul-outs are located close

to lnchoun: a closer one at Cape lvantsov (Cape lnchoun) and a farther one in the region of

Enmyttagin (66Q22'N; 170Q35'W; this haul-out is also called Utenskoe in the literature -

G.S.), 15 kilometers northwest of Inchoun. Only once did I see a walrus harpooned in the

immediate vicinity oflnchoun. One year, in the autumn, the closer haul-out filled up to such

an extent that the walruses were lying near a separate stone promontory about a kilometer

from the village in the direction of Cape Ivantsov. Villagers from Inchoun took steps to

prevent the hauled-out walrus from withdrawing into the sea. Dogs were tied up to prevent

them from approaching the walruses. All vehicles were parked so that the noise would not

scare the animals away. Hunters were placed as guards not far from the haul-out in order to

keep watch on the walruses and to keep people from approaching them, particularly children,

who naturally were very eager to see the walruses. This continued for several days until it

was felt that sufficient numbers of walruses had hauled-out to allow for a harpooning. The

harpooning began early in the morning, when most of the walruses at the haul-out were

asleep. A group of hunters armed with long spears carefully approached the walruses. At a

sign from the senior hunter. the harpooning began. They harpooned the walruses in vital

organs so as to cause immediate death for the animals. The walruses that were killed were

left while the hunters went on to harpoon the next animal. The harpooning went on until the

walruses left a small area of the haul-out, or it ended at a command from the senior hunter

when he felt that enough animals had been killed. Then the hunters hauled the walruses from where they had been harpooned to the village as quickly as possible using vehicles.

Only then did they cut up the animals, ensuring in this way that the site of the harpooning would remain free of walrus remains. In this case, the walruses could again haul-out on the same spot. Although the hunters tried to avoid letting injured animals get away, some always did: not all the hunters were good at using the spears for harpooning. I had never seen such a thing before, of course, but from other sources I know that to get the injured animals that went into the water, the hunters used harpoons with lines and a ball attached to the end. In

ffa/rus Harvesl ivfoni!Ortng on Chukolka in 2000 Page 24 this way, the injured animals would be visible and could be collected later, and if the walrus died, then the ball would prevent it from sinking. In addition, the hunters always visited the site of the harpooning on subsequent days and also spent the following days looking for injured animals along the shoreline, where the animals would come to rest and where the hunters could finish the animals off. If a dead walrus were to wash up on the shore, it would always be divided and used as food for dogs.

Usually the harpooning was done at the haul-out to the northwest of Inchoun. This haul-out was not considered to be as important as the one on Cape Ivantsov. It would fill up later in the autumn with migrating walruses. There are good approaches to this haul-out from the direction of the village.

Participants in the walrus harpooning could include not only hunters working at the agricultural enterprise but also anyone else who so desired and who had experience in harpooning walruses.

The equipment for harpooning the walruses is prepared beforehand. The jabbing end of a long spear is sharpened, and the wooden part is checked for cracks to prevent breaks while harpooning a walrus. To a certain extent, the walrus harpooning can be compared to the autumn caribou slaughter, so people always are in a holiday mood because they will be able to collect the meat they need to feed themselves and their sled dogs during the winter.

Harpooning can be rare in other locations because the walrus haul-outs are not situated in places where it would be convenient to do so, such as on narrow shorelines, along stone breaks or rocky sites. In addition, many walrus haul-outs are specially protected zones where harpooning is officially forbidden. This includes Cape Ivantsov.

:"'otes on the Expansion of the Project

The walrus harvest monitoring project has not yet encompassed two of six villages,

Lavrentiya and Neshkan. According to official information, each of these two villages harvests approximately 50 to 60 walruses per year. This figure could actually be higher for Lavrentiya.

Jf/alrus Harw'sl Afonituring on Clwkotka in :!UUU Page :!5 If the project were to be expanded further, it would be better to include Lavrentiya. Here,

the walrus harvest begins in June and ends in October or November. Given favorable ice

conditions, the harvest begins in May and sometimes ends in December.

This season the observer's diaries from the monitors reached the regional coordinator

very late. The walrus harvest season began very late for some villages and ended in October.

Fewer walruses were harvested than in the previous year. Therefore the monitors, following

the recommendations given to them, used one journal as their final copy. The diaries have

45 to 50 pages. In order for detailed information on the walrus harvest to reach the monitor

and the scientific director on a monthly basis, 1 would offer the following suggestions:

1. To prevent delays in the monitors sending the diaries, I believe that the diaries should be used for one month, that is, decrease the number of pages to some level based on usage from the two years of observations already completed on this project; or,

2. Use the separate observation sheets that were used during the 1999 season.

In any event, we should maintain the sequentially increasing numbering of the diary pages and of the harvested animals, which makes it easy to document the collected teeth.

If this were to be the case, all the observation materials and the collected teeth could come in on time, which is important so that the scientific director can prepare the technical report on time.

Joint meetings between monitors and sea hunters from both sides of the Bering and

Chukchii seas should continue and be expanded. This helps the monitors in the Chukotskii

District better understand the need for, and the equipment used in, monitoring the walrus harvest.

The Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center (ChukotTINRO) cannot afford to equip the monitors and the project managers with everything they need to monitor the walrus harvest, or to prepare and provide such great amounts of reports. 1 believe that it is necessary to make use of the opportunity to acquire and bring equipment from the

United States. To some extent, it is better to do this in the United States since it is impossible

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 26 to acquire such equipment here, on Chukotka, and there is no money to bring the equipment from the central regions of the country. In addition, the quality and selection of Russian equipment leaves something to be desired.

I believe that it is necessary to provide the Chukotskii District project coordinator with better equipment. Considering the volume of technical documents prepared in the

Chukotskii District for the project, the area coordinator needs a modern computer with a modem for using e-mail. This type of computer can be purchased in Russia, in the city of

Anadyr, at a cost that varies from $800 to $1,000. Funding could come from the line items

"Travel within Russia" and "Communications Systems" from the 200 I budget. Note that expenditures for sending faxes and for telephone calls would be reduced.

Forecast for the harvest and harvest monitoring in the 2001 season.

The 2000 walrus harvest season cannot be considered a success for the reasons that I outlined above. For this reason, we can assume that the 2001 harvest will be more intensive.

It is difficult to predict the extent to which ice conditions will allow the hunters to begin earlier or when the walrus harvest will end. But equipment-related circumstances allow us to predict an increase in the walrus harvest. For the new harvest season, the agricultural enterprises received sufficient numbers of rifles and ammunition for the harvest.

Additional firearms are expected, particularly in Lorino. The Chukotskii District received almost 300 tons of auto fuel in 2000, of which about 30 percent went to the agricultural enterprises. Finally, in November 2000, the district received 14 new sea-hunting boats for all the villages, which are supposed to replace the whaleboats. Fourteen, 115-horsepower outboard motors were brought to Anadyr for these boats.

In 2000, for the first time in ten years, representatives from two firms carne to the

Chukotskii District to buy up supplies of commercial-grade sea animal oil. They also placed orders for the oi I in 200 I. This lets the agricultural enterprises earn good money since they are able to sell almost no meat from the sea, which the local population largely takes for

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 27 free. It is possible that more walruses might be killed this year than previously in order to

obtain and sell the commercial-grade oil.

This means that the monitors' work in the new harvesting period in the Chukotskii

District will be more intense than during the 2000 season. This means that there will be

work for the monitors and their assistants in 2001.

Significance of the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Project

The Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Project is enormously important for

all its participants in the Chukotskii District. The material interest of the project's participants

is of no small importance. Such projects make it possible to receive various pieces of

equipment for the harvest. This generates interest among other Native residents in

participating in projects.

In addition to the material incentive for participating in the project, there are also the

moral aspects of such project, including the monitoring project.

The inclusion of the Native residents and the monitoring assistants in this project creates a demand for the knowledge and experience of sea hunters in the study of traditional trades.

Of course, every successful hunter or team leader knows and provides figures on the number of walruses harvested by their team or possibly even by their entire enterprise. They can read the official data provided to the monitoring agencies by the administration of their farm. But these are only the pure data, without any of the additional information that is collected for this monitoring project. If one examines all the monitoring materials in the technical report, one can find facts that give pause. The monitoring materials report not only the number of walruses harvested but also injured animals that could not be brought to shore. It is these materials that provide a real picture of the harvest of this prey. The materials can show how successfully the harvest has been for each village, team or farm where monitoring is conducted.

This leads to the idea of comparing the effectiveness of the walrus harvest by hunters, teams and even farms: how many were taken, how many were not taken, that is, which hunters were

Walrus Harvest Momtoring on Chukotka 111 2000 Page 28 most successful and where? One can even get a sense of the professional level of the hunters, a sense of why the harvest was more successful for one village or farm or team.

Our annual meetings in Alaska permit contacts between sea hunters from Chukotka and Alaska. The meetings can serve as the basis for comparing the state of traditional trades and environmental protection. Our hunters have the opportunity see how in Alaska various organizations work with the Native peoples and the degree to which the organizations of

Native Alaskans are respected among the Native residents themselves.

Acknowledgements

The project management expresses its gratitude to all those who are associated with the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Project. Enormous thanks to all the monitors for their good work during the 2000 season. From the Chukotskii District, this includes

Aleksei Ottoi of Lorino, Yurii Klimakov of Uelen, Dmitrii Kymyrovtyn of Inchoun and

Andriyan Omrukvun ofEnurmino. Their workload increased significantly in the 2000 season due to the project's expansion. We would like to thank the other Russian participants who contributed to the implementation of the project: Igor Zagrebin of Provideniya and others.

Thanks to the heads of ChukotTINRO, Dr. Vladimir Myasnikov: the Naukan Production

Cooperative, Mikhail Zelenskii; and the Russian Society of Eskimos, Lyudmila Ainana.

The Russian participants in the project express their enormous gratitude to the

American side. Thanks to the Alaskan Eskimo Walrus Commission for their support for the implementation of the project, its previous and current heads, Jacob Olanna, Karl Kava,

Roza Atuk Foskik and Austin Amasuk. Without their help, this project could not have succeeded to the extent that it has.

Special thanks to the specialists and scientists, both American and Russian, for their persistence and enthusiasm in implementing and expanding this project. This includes

ChukotTINRO staff member Gennadii Smimov (Anadvr, Chukotka, Russia), and Joel

Garlich-Miller and Larry Dickerson from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage,

Alaska, United States).

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 29 2.2. MAKSE\1 AGNAKISYAK (Provideniya District)

Cultural Traditions and Customs Connected with the Walrus Harvest

As in past, today's hunters go out for the first hunt of the spring (the first time out to sea) with a supply of some food: a small piece of whale meat (in raw or cooked form); pieces of marine mammal meat; when possible (recently), oil from caribou, collected in the

intestines and sun-dried; and much more. The hunters perform a ceremony of thanks, that is, they summon up the spirits of their ancestors and "feed" them with the bits of these foods, and the elder hunter gives a speech. Casting the offering toward the sea, he asks for good weather and a successful hunt, and he thanks the spirits for the coming hunt.

The first kills - whether it is a walrus or ringed seal or bearded seal - is divided among all family members. In the spring, marine mammals are used immediately for food.

Only in the autumn is meat prepared for the winter to last until the next harvesting season.

Currently in our village of Novo-Chaplino, hunters do not go out to sea in canoes since there are no craftsman who could build the canoes. In Sireniki, hunters still go out in canoes. The skins used for the canoes come from female walruses, and the skins for the straps come from young walruses. If we want to prepare meat for the winter, we try to take adult walruses, although we try to take those with fewer nodules on their necks.

Herbs prepared beforehand by women are used as seasoning for the cooked or fresh­ frozen walrus meat. The entire walrus carcass is used, with virtually nothing going to waste.

The meat is cooked and frozen; the oil is melted for food and for "zhirniki" [a dish that is fried in fat]; the intestines are dried, with the fatty intestines in particular used for this; the liver is preserved; the flippers are hung out and brought to the point when they just begin to smell of spoilt meat. The ribs ofthe walrus are dried, with a small amount of meat lett on them; the dried ribs keep well until spring. The stomach is prepared using a special method: it is scraped down to a thin and transparent film, then inflated and tied off. It is then hung outside to dry. The heavier the frost and the longer the stomach hangs outside, the lighter the film becomes; the frost "bleaches" the stomach. In the summer, during the dry period, the film becomes yellow.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 30 The process of harvesting the walrus has been maintained since time immemorial.

Currently the most effective method is hunting from aluminum boats using high-power firearms, such as the Tigr or Vepr rifles. We overtake the walruses in the aluminum boats, harpoon them and then kill them using the firearm. High-power rifles allO\\ for killmg the walrus with one shot. Previously we harvested the walruses from whaleboats and killed them using SKS rif1es. The whaleboats are heavy and slow, it took a greater number of shots to kill the walruses and there were greater numbers of struck-and-lost animals.

Project Results: Count of Harvested Pacific Walruses on Chukotka

Provideniya District, 2000

The observers have gained an enormous amount of experience over the two years of the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Project. In 2000 one additional observer, Sergei

Ashkamakin, was added in the Provideniya District. Ashkamakin, from Yanrakynnot, had no previous experience with this type of work. There was also a switch in the observer for

Sireniki, with Sergei Gorbunov being replaced by Sergei Skhaugye, who also did not have experience with such a program. Delays in providing the monthly reports occurred only due to unstable communications between villages.

I met with the observer from Yanrakynnot, Sergei Ashkamakin, on June 6, 2000, in

Yanrakynnot, which I reached on a Buran snow tractor. I held a discussion with the observer and trained him in how to collect the information, put together the reports and collect the walrus teeth. The observer was given field equipment and clothing. Later, in Provideniya, I met with Sergei Gorbunov, with whom I also worked. He was given the report for 1999.

Unfortunately, Sergei Gorbunov declined to work as an observer in 2000 due to the workload at his regular job (as a specialist in traditional harvesting) and due to his health. In July, again in Provideniya, Sergei Skhaugye was issued the equipment and clothing and was given instruction in how to conduct the observation work. I managed to meet with the observer from Enmelen, Nikolai Rultintigreu, only at the end of July, at the end of the

Beringiya-2000 regatta in the Chukotskii District, when the Enmelen hunters returned home.

Walrus Hurvesl MoniJOring on Chukotku in 2000 ?age J 1 3. RESULTS OF THE WALRUS HARVEST MONITORING ON CHUKOTKAIN 2000

3.1. Seasonal Dynamic of the Harvest

Weather conditions had an impact on the way that the 2000 harvesting season progressed. The late break-up of the ice covering and the constant presence of fields of pack ice on the northern coast of the Chukotka Peninsula significantly delayed the start of the harvest in Inchoun and Enurmino. For this same reason, walruses were absent in the autumn from many shoreline haul-outs northeast of Cape Dezhnevo, where in previous years traditional harvesting was conducted to take in meat for the winter. This season also differed from the previous season for a variety of organizational and socioeconomic reasons.

May

The first walrus (a mature male) of the 2000 season on Chukotka was taken in

Novo-Chaplino on May I, in the area of Cape Chaplino. On May 2 Lorino hunters killed an adult male walrus on the ice from among a group of three walruses. On May 13, hunters from the villages of Novo-Chaplino and Enmelen took walruses.

In Lorino, the harvest became more active in the last third of May. The productivity of the walrus hunt increased as well, which can be explained by the spring migration of adult walruses from wintering regions to the north. In just two days (May 23 and 25) the

Lorino hunters took 13 males, including 12 adults and one adolescent. At the end of May, the intensity of the harvest began to decline.

For the entire month, 19 walruses were taken in the Chukotskii District, with the average take for the spring hunt being 2.1 walruses per hunting foray (Table 2 ). The harvested walruses were primarily adult males, with the exception of one adolescent male and one adult female. It should be noted that the female was taken by Lorino hunters only at the end of the month (May 27). According to the hunters, gunshot wounds were found on her carcass.

Thus, the monitoring confirmed that small, separate groups of mature males are the first to pass by the coast of the Chukotka Peninsula during the spring migration, while mixed groups

(females with young and males) migrate two to three weeks later.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 32 Ten walruses were taken throughout the Provideniya District in 33 hunting forays in

May, with an average take of 0.3 walruses per foray.

June

In the Provideniya District, the first walruses taken in June were killed by hunters from Enmelen: on June 4, three walruses were taken, with the total number taken in June amounting to five walruses. Hunters from Novo-Chaplino took their tirst walrus of the month on June 14, followed by two more on June 28. Hunters from Yanrakynnot took just two walruses in June. Hunters from Sireniki had no kills in June due to high seas. In all in

June, throughout the Provideniya District, hunters went out on 15 forays and killed 10 walruses, which amounts to 0.67 head taken per foray.

From July 7 to 13, in the area of the Gulf ofMechigmen, where hunters from Lorino traditionally harvest, the walrus harvesting was active (4.5 kills per foray) on ice haul-outs.

Throughout June, the sea was covered with concentrated ice fields moving northward. During this period, the hunters from the village took 3 7 adult and ten young males, as well as .two adult females (75.5 percent, 20.4 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively). Walruses migrating northward formed numerous ice haul-outs consisting of adult and young males, along with an insignificant number of solitary females and females with young. Female walruses with young were first reported by Lorino hunters on June 12 and 13. During the next two weeks, the hunters took just one walrus (a large adult male). From June 28 to 30, the productivity of the harvesting was relatively low ( 1.5 head per foray) compared to the period from June 7 to

13. During the June 28-30 period, the take consisted of an adult male and an adult female, as well as immature animals: four females and two males.

In Uelen, the walrus hunting season opened on June 13 with the taking of four walruses (adults, two males and two females). The hunting was done on open waters and included losses (one young walrus of unknown sex and age). On June 14, in the area of

Cape Dezhnevo, one adult male walrus was taken on ice. For June 15 and 16, two yearlings and one young, immature walrus (males) were taken, along with one immature female with

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukolka in 2000 Page 33 three tusks. During the hunt, three adults of unknown sex were injured. The next productive

forays came at the end of the month: from June 27 to 30, a young female with a newborn

male was taken at an ice haul-out, along with one immature and one adult female. The

productivity of the June hunt in this village was 2.6 walruses per foray.

In Inchoun and Enurmino, walruses were not harvest in June due to difficult ice conditions.

The average take for the Chukotskii District was equal to 2.2 walruses per foray.

The first walruses for this month were taken on July 8 by hunters from Enmelen

(six head) and Sireniki (three head). These were walruses that were in transit when they were taken. On July 13, hunters from Novo-Chaplino killed one walrus not far from the haul-out on Arakamchechen Island. In all in July, the Novo-Chaplino hunters took six walruses. Hunters from Yanrakynnot took three walruses on ice in the middle of July. In all, hunters in the Provideniya District took walruses, of which 32 were taken by hunters from Sireniki (who had a total of six forays to sea). The total number of harvesting forays in July was 14. The hunters from Yanrakynnot took the fewest walruses due to a shortage of fuel.

The harvest went well in Lorino in July. From July I 0 to 13, in the area of the former village of Akkani, four Lorino hunting teams killed 20 walruses (ten young and ten adult males). One team hunted in the area ofYandogai and Goryachie Klyuchi. Most of the walruses were moving northward, but certain walruses were heading southward, toward to haul-outs on Arakamchechen Island. Of the group heading north, two adult males and two young females were taken.

The most intensive period ofthe harvest for the Lorino hunters was from July 16 to

21 in the area of Akkani, where they took 95 walruses (including one adult and three young females, with the rest of them being males, including two yearlings, 42 young and 47 adults).

All the animals were moving northward. rValrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 34 In Inchoun, the first walruses of the season were taken on July 18 (three adult males) opposite the settlement by two teams of hunters. On July 20, t\VO more adults and one young walrus were taken. After July 21, when the hunters took one adult walrus, the intensity of the harvest declined, and until August 9 the hunting produced no results. Ice fields drifted in the coastal waters during the entire month. The hunters took the walruses at ice haul-outs.

In Enurmino, the walrus hunting season opened on July 6 at a point 25 kilometers from Cape Serdtse-Kamen, with nine adult males taken, as well as six walruses either struck­ and-lost or injured. The walruses were migrating westward on drifting, dispersed ice floes.

The next day, July 7, 45 to 50 kilometers from Cape Serdtse-Kamen, 26 more adult males were taken. As on the previous day, the walruses had formed haul-outs on ice floes that were moving westward.

The average number of walruses harvested in one foray throughout the Chukotskii

District was 6.1, and for the Provideniya District, 3.6 head. Lorino hunters achieved the most productive hunts, taking 6.6 walruses per foray.

For all the villages in both regions, July saw the highest number of walruses taken during the harvest, with a total of 254.

August

During this month the hunters from Sireniki killed only one walrus. On August 2, the first three walruses of the month were taken by hunters from Lorino. Hunters from

Enmelen had the most intensive harvest during the second half ofAugust, taking 33 walruses in all during 13 forays to sea. Hunters from Novo-Chaplino and Yanrakynnot harvested in the Gulf ofSenyavin (the Novo-Chaplino hunters harvested in the Gulf ofChechekuyum).

Their most active harvesting also came in the second half of the month. In alL throughout the region, 56 walruses were taken in 26 hunting forays in August.

In the Chukotskii District, harvesting activity declined in August. Most of the hunters switched in this month to hunting whales. In addition, in the first half of the month, the

Walrus Han•esl Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 35 traditional Beringiya sailing regatta was held in Lavrentiya. and the hunters spent a great deal of time participating in competitions.

Lorino hunters killed all their walruses in August in the Akkani area, hunting the animals that were moving northward from the Arakamchechen haul-out. The hunters took

4I walruses in nine forays. Hunters from Uelen took just ten walruses during August, including three that were taken by individual hunters right at the village during watches on the beach. The other seven animals were taken on the water to the northeast of the village.

The coastal waters around lnchoun were free of ice for just one week. The hunters spent almost the entire month harvesting on ice near the village, taking 20 walruses in II forays.

In certain instances, due to the absence of fuel, the Inchoun hunters went out to the harvest on rowboats. The August take included six females (30 percent) harvested at ice haul-outs.

In the area of the lnchoun haul-out, as in previous years, only males were taken. Observations by ChukotTINRO statT member A. Kochnev in 2000 confirmed the fact that only males collect at this haul-out. At the beginning of August two walrus carcasses were found in the area ofEnurmino and on Cape Seshan. The monitor believed that these walruses could have been crushed by ice. Prior to this, a strong northern wind had been observed, and this likely caused ice floes to collide. In all, Enurmino hunters took 17 walruses during this month, including four females.

The total number of forays for all the villages in the Chukotskii District in August was 32, and the number of walruses harvested was 88. The average take for the district was

2. 75 walruses per foray.

September

As in the previous year, the walrus harvest became more active in September in villages in both districts (in 1999, there were 90 forays during this month, and in 2000, 78 forays). This is due to the preparation of meat for the w1mer.

In the Provideniya District, the most active harvesting of walruses was done by the hunters from Enmelen, who took 38 walruses in 11 hunting forays. Hunters from Novo-

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 36 Chaplino and Yanrakynnot harvested in the Gulf of Senyavin, where walruses from the

Arakamchechen haul-out were feeding. Hunters from Sireniki went to sea eight times, but they did not take a single walrus. The district coordinator explains this lack of success by noting that the walruses passed by early in the morning, while the hunters were prevented from getting to sea early enough by border guards, who spent too much time going through all the fom1alities of checking documents (passports, boat documentation). During this time, the walruses were able to swim far away from the village. In all, 62 walruses were taken in

30 forays to sea throughout the district.

Hunters from Enurmino, lnchoun and Uelen harvested walruses on the ice that, by

September, was quickly concentrating in the coastal waters. For this reason, the Enurmino hunters were able to conduct the harvest only through September 12. In this short period, they took 24 walruses, while hunters from other villages took walruses on the water. In all for September. 229 walruses were killed. The lnchoun hunters were most productive, taking

68 walruses in 14 forays to sea. The Lorino hunters in September harvested walruses on the water in the Akkani area, taking 45 walruses in 19 forays.

For the Chukotskii District, the average take per foray in September was 3.14 walruses.

The total number of walruses harvested in all the villages in September was 213 head.

October

ln October, along the entire coastline, intensive preparations of meat for the winter continued. In the Provideniya District, the hunters from Sireniki were the most successful at harvesting walruses, taking 22 animals in lO forays to sea, with the hunts focusing on walruses in transit. Enmelen hunters took I 3 walruses in three forays to sea. Hunters from Novo-Chaplino and Yanrakynnot took fewest of all due to poor weather conditions. In all, the Provideniya District saw 18 forays to sea in October, with 40 walruses taken.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 37 The intensive migration of walruses from the Chukchii Sea southward resulted in a high level of harvesting in Uelen. There, the greatest number of walruses was harvt:sted 111

October: 52, including 17 females. This village also achieved the highest productivity level for 2000 in this month: 10.4 walruses per foray. Uelen hunters in 1999 had the highest productivity level in October: 6.84 walruses per foray. The Uelen and Inchoun hunters took all the walruses on ice. Hunters in Enurmino already were unable to hunt by October due to the high density of pack ice in the coastal waters. For this same reason harvesting came to an end in Inchoun and Uelen by the start of the second third of the month. Most hunters from Lorino were sent in October to Anadyr to receive new whale-hunting boats and motors, because of which Lorino hunters took no walruses during this month.

An analysis of the seasonal dynamic of the harvest shows that the spring-summer peak of harvesting activity for 2000 came in the second third of July, two to three weeks later than in 1999. The autumn peak of harvesting activity came in the first half of September, at about the same time as in the previous year. It is quite possible to conclude that the highest level of productivity in the harvest coincided with peak periods in the seasonal migration of Pacific walrus populations along the coastline of the Chukotka Peninsula.

3.2. Age-Sex Composition of the Kill

In analyzing the sex composition of the kills in 2000, one notes that the share of males in the total kill for the season rose about 10 percent compared to the figures for 1999.

The share of females fell accordingly. On the whole, the sex composition for all kills during the season was 82.7 percent males and 17.3 percent females (Illustration 3 ). The most significant changes in the sex composition of the kill for individual villages were as follows

(Illustration 4 ): significant increases in the share of males taken during the season this year occurred in Inchoun (92.1 percent in 2000, versus 74.8 percent in 1999) and in Novo-Chaplino

(95.4 percent in 2000; 68.8 percent in 1999). In Uelen and Lorino, the opposite was true, with a minor decrease in the share of males compared to the previous year: by 3.3 percent in

Uelen, and by 4.1 percent in Lorino. In the villages located on the shoreline of the Gulf of rValrus Harvest A1oniwring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 38 Anadyr, the share of males also rose. This was particularly noticeable in Enmelen, where the number of males was much higher than the number of females in the kills during the

2000 season (60.0 percent in 2000, versus 26.1 percent in 1999).

Seasonal fluctuations in the sex composition of the 2000 harvest were less significant than in 1999. Throughout the season, males consistently predominated in the totals for walruses harvested (Illustration 3). As in the previous year, the share of females reached the highest level in August, but for the reporting year this figure was only 26.4 percent. (In

August 1999, females predominated, reaching 56.1 percent of the kill.) Enmelen hunters took the greatest share of the females during this month (I11ustration 4 ), hunting a mixed herd of walruses that was spending the summer in the Gulf ofAnadyr. The take for September again saw a significant predominance of males throughout the region, even along the coastline of the Gulf of Anadyr (Enmelen, 66.7 percent), where in September of the previous year males had been much fewer than females (Enmelen, 24.2 percent; Sireniki, 27.3 percent).

No significant changes were noted in the geographic distribution oft~edmg herds of walruses in 2000. As in 1999, males predominated in the harvest kills in the northern villages on the Chukotka Peninsula (Enurmino, Uelen, Inchoun and Lorino; Illustration 4). The harvest in Yanrakynnot consisted entirely of males killed in the area around a male haul-out on Arakamchechen Island. As we have already noted, there was a significant increase in the share of males in the kill for Novo-Chaplino. In the villages along the coastline of the Gulf of Anadyr (Sireniki and Enme1en), as before, females predominated in the kills for this season; these females were part of reproduction haul-out communities Meyechkynskoye and Rudderskoye, Illustrations I and 2-D). However, unlike the previous year, in Enmelen the correlation between the sexes changed diametrical! y: the share of females in the kill for the season was 73.7 percent in 1999, decreasing to 39.8 percent in 2000. Females previously had been observed to predominate m the walrus harvest on the coast otthe (.iultof i\nadyr

(Mymrin, Grachev, 1986; Grachev, 1988; Grachev, Mymrin, 1991; Mymrin et al, 1988;

1990; Smimov, 1996).

Walrus Harvest lvfonitoring on Clwkotka in 2000 Page 39 The age composition of the total kilL based on visual inspections by the mon1tors. was as follows: adults, 63.8 percent; young (sexually immature walruses, two-year-old and older),

33.2 percent; yearling calves, 2.5 percent; and newborns, 0.5 percent. Compared to 1999, the share of adult walruses increased by 8.3 percent, while the share of young walruses declined by 6.0 percent. Newborns and yearling calves were taken in isolated instances in the harvests of the villages of lnchoun, Uelen, Lorino, Novo-Chaplino, Sireniki and Enmelen (Table 3 ).

A biological analysis of the age composition of the harvested walruses is presented in Illustrations 5 and 6. The demographic curve of the total kill (Illustration 5) smoothly rises to the cohort of 14-year-old animals, then falls to the lowest level for the 19-year-old animals, and then rises again, reaching the next peak for 27-year-old animals before smoothly declining to zero. Animals of ages eight to 16 years old predominated overall in the total harvest. The demographic dip in the number of walruses between the ages of 14 and 27 years might reflect the particular nature of the distribution of walruses within the feeding area. On the other hand, it is possible that it corresponds to the fluctuations in the rate of reproduction of the Pacific walrus. At the least, the rise in the demographic curve from the

18-year-old cohort (born in 1982) and the 14-year-old cohort (born in 1986) coincides with the period of growth in the population's numbers.

3.3. Analysis of Harvest Losses

According to data on harvest losses, the total number of struck-and-lost walruses in

2000 was 99 (Table 1), which is 11. 6 percent of the number of harvested animals (versus

9.4 percent in 1999). For the individual villages, the figures were as follows:

1999 2000 Lorino 3.50 percent 3.02 percent Uelen 7.10 16.90 lnchoun 20.90 10.50 Enurmino 28.90 Novo-Chaplino 24.60 11.40 Sireniki 4.50 8.90 Enmelen 15.90 20.40 Yamakynnot 4.40 Total 9.40 11.70

Walrus Harvest Monitoring an Chukotka in 2000 Page 40 In the opinion of many researchers (Belopolskii, 1931; Nikulin, 1941; Fay et al,

1994; Smirnov, 1996; Garlich-Miller, 1998; and others), the level ofharvest losses ofPacific walruses can reach 40 percent to 50 percent of the total number of harvest walruses. The size of the losses depends on various factors and can vary greatly. When harvesting walruses at ice haul-outs, the losses decrease, while losses increase during hunts on the water. In recent years on Chukotka, socioeconomic factors have been a significant factor in the decrease

in harvest losses. The chronic shortage of weapons, ammunition, fuel and other material resources has encouraged the Chukotka hunters to carry out the harvest with minimal losses.

They have begun to employ spears more frequently when harvesting walruses near haul­ outs. For hunts on the water, the hunters in many villages use fast aluminum boats, which allow them to quickly catch up to a walrus and harpoon it prior to shooting it.

At the same time, high losses continue where walruses are harvested on the water using slow whaleboats. This was confirmed by observations by ChukotTINRO biologists from 1995 through 2000 in various harvesting regions (A. Kochnev, Ye. Kompantseva, D.

Litovka and A. Kharitonov, verbal communications and our own observations).

The data on losses for individual villages cited at the beginning of this section seem incomplete to us. It is quite possible that the sea hunters did not provide information about harvest losses tor subjective reasons (fear of official repercussions, etc.). During the reponing year, biologists from ChukotTINRO noted resistance on the part of certain managers when information was requested on the harvests in the villages of Sireniki and Lorino. Despite the educational work done with team leaders and hunters by the coordinators and the project's scientific director, many of them still are afraid to provide all the data on walrus losses during the hunt. Therefore, we calculated the harvest losses of Pacific walruses for all the coastal enterprises on Chukotka based on the upper estimates received from monitors' observations in Enum1ino, 28.9 percent.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 4/ 3.4. Evaluation of Objectivity of Officially Reported Data and Calculation of Actual Take

As in 1999, a comparison of the officially reported data on the number of harvested

walrus with the data from the monitoring program showed substantial differences in the monthly and seasonal data for all the villages (Table 4). The total number of harvested walruses for the six months of observations in the seven monitored villages (with the exception of Enurmino) based on the official reports from harvesting enterprises and fisheries agencies was 622, while our data show 756 walruses killed in these villages. The shortfall in the official count was 134 walruses, or 17. 7 percent. The greatest numbers of officially uncounted harvested walruses were in Novo-Chaplino, 86.4 percent; Enmelen, 54.3 percent; and Sireniki, 46.4 percent. Notably, a similarly high variance with the official data was observed in Novo-Chaplino and Enmelen in 1999 (72.1 percent and 79.5 percent).

Based on the assumption that the correlation of the actual harvest versus official reports is the same for all villages ofChukotka where walruses are hunted, we can calculate the number of walruses actually killed with a correction coefficient calculated using the

USFWS Marine Mammals Management method (Garlich-Miller, 1998):

R DHM/GSD (I)

In the formula, R is the correction coefficient; OHM is the data from the harvest monitoring in the seven monitored villages (756); and GSD is the government statistical data on the number of walruses harvested in the seven monitored villages (622).

The correction coefficient is therefore equal to 1.215 (in 1999, it was 1.242).

Multiplying the total number of walruses report harvested on Chukotka in 2000 (976 according to the official reports) by the correction coefficient gives us the estimated number of harvested walruses: 1,212.

The estimated number of walruses taken out of the population in 2000 by Chukotka's sea hunters (including harvest losses, 28.9 percent) was 1,562 animals (versus 2,080 in

1999).

fJ'a/rus Harvesi Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 42 4. CONCLUSION

The monitoring of the harvest of Pacific walrus on Chukotka, begun in 1999, continued in 2000 at a qualitatively higher level. Two more villages were added to the six on the Chukotka Peninsula where visual reporting of harvested walruses took place, while at the same time the methodology used in the research became more comprehensive. In all the villages, samples of teeth were collected to determine the age of the harvested walruses.

A biological analysis of the teeth produced valuable information on the current age-sex structure of those walruses removed from the population.

The 2000 research confirmed that males predominate among the harvested walruses.

Moreover, the share of males for this reporting year, compared to the previous year, rose by approximately I 0 percent. An increase in the share of males was noted on the northern coastline of the Chukotka Peninsula, in villages in the Bering Strait and in kills by hunters from the villages of the Gulf of Anadyr (Sireniki and Enmelen), where previously females had predominated throughout the harvest season. In Sireniki, the situation remained essentially unchanged, while in Enmelen the correlation between the sexes switched diametrically, with about 60 percent of the harvested walruses in 2000 being males. The data from the harvest monitoring point to dynamic changes in the sex composition of local walrus communities living along Chukotka's coastline at different times of the year. The results ofthe harvest monitoring are confirmed by data from research into walruses' coastal haul-outs in the Gulf of Anadyr and on the Chukotka Peninsula.

Visual inspections by the monitors showed that the share of adults among the harvested walruses was 63.8 percent; young (sexually immature walruses, two-year-old and older), 33.2 percent; yearling calves, 2.5 percent; and newborns, 0.5 percent. Compared to 1999, the share of adult walruses increased by 8.3 percent, while the share of young walruses declined by 6 percent.

A biological analysis of the collected age-indicating materials showed that walruses aged eight to 16 years predominated in the take. The appearance of a demographic dip

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotlw. in 2000 Page 43 between the categories of 14- and 27-year-old walruses might reflect the specific nature of

the summer distribution of walruses within the feeding area, although it is also possible that

it corresponds to the fluctuations in the reproduction rates of the Pacific walrus. The rise in

the demographic curve from the !8-year-old cohort (born in 1982) and the 14-year-old

cohort (born in 1986) coincides with the period of growth in the population's numbers.

The extent of harvest losses, as in the previous year, varied considerably between

villages. Reported losses might have been subjectively lowered by hunters and therefore

might not reflect the actual losses. To get an idea of the true extent of harvest losses, it

would be necessary to conduct additional research using objective methods.

It was established that the official reports of the harvesting enterprises in the monitored

villages did not include about 18 percent of the walruses actually harvested. Given this

difference, the estimated number of walruses harvested in 2000 on Chukotka by all enterprises

was 1,212 animals.

The number of walruses removed from the natural population in the coastal waters

of Chukotka as a result of the harvest, including both those actually harvested and struck­

and-lost walruses, was estimated to be I ,562.

Further development of walrus harvest monitoring on Chukotka will require an

increase in the quality of the work. It is necessary to continue the collection of the age­

indicating material and, in addition, to begin collecting and analyzing the reproductive organs of males to study the reproductive state of the population. The collection of inforn1ation on

harvest losses requires methodological improvement. For the purpose of improving the

quality of the first-hand information collection, the issue of differentiating the pay for the

monitors based on the volume of their work should be examined.

Constant training for the staff of the monitoring program and increased educational

work in the villages, districts and administrative centers of Chukotka, as well as in Alaska,

would help more quickly meet the goal of rational management of the Pacific walrus

population by people on both sides of the Bering Strait.

IVafrus Harvest :lvfonitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 44 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The staff of the project would like to express their sincere gratitude to the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service in Alaska, the Kawerak Incorporated of Nome, Alaska, and the U.S.

National Park Service, with the financial support of which the 2000 monitoring research

was expanded both geographically and in terms of content.

We would like to personally thank the head of the Walrus Harvest Monitoring Program

in Alaska {under the USFWS), Joel Garlich-Miller, for his consistent efforts to develop this

joint project. We would also like to say a few words of thanks to Larry Dickerson, our

partner from the very start of this project: "It was very good working with you. You are a

top-notch professional and a true gentleman! Good luck, Larry, in your new life at your new

job!" Separately, we would like to thank the head of Marine Mammal Management (USFWS),

Dr. Rosa Meehan; the chaim1an of the Alaskan Eskimo Walrus Commission, Karl Kava;

and the staff of this commission, including Roza Atuk Foskik and Austin Amasuk, for their

practical support in the implementation of this project. We are also grateful to our many

volunteer helpers in Alaska, including Sue Lapcass, Marina Bell, Natasha Novik, Charlie

Johnson, Clarence Vaghi, Nancy Mendenhall and others.

We are particularly grateful to our Russian assistants Vladimir Bychkov, Maksim

Litovka, Lena Pushkareva and Viktor Tneskin, who helped with written and oral translations,

and who also rendered painstaking technical assistance during the laboratory processing of

field samples and the preparation of this report. We are grateful to ChukotTINRO staff members Anatolii Kochnev and Denis Litovka for training the monitors and for consulting on the practical aspects of collecting biological samples. We thank the heads ofChukotTINRO

(Dr. Vladimir Myasnikov), Naukan Production Cooperative (Mikhail Zelenskii) and the

Yupik Society of Eskimos of Chukotka (Lyudmila Ainana) for providing various technical assistance. A huge "thank you" to all the hunters of the villages of Enurmino, Inchoun,

Uelen, Lorino, Yanrakynnot, Novo-Chaplino, Sireniki and Enmelen. Without the assistance of these people, it would not be possible to implement this project.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 45 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works in Russian

Belopolskii, L.O. A Brief Preliminary Report on the Work to Study the Marine

Mammals of the Anadyr Region. TINRO Archive, 1931. 25 pages.

Grachev, A.I. "Summer Distribution of Walruses in the Gulf of Anadyr." Research

Works on Marine Mammals of the Northern Pacific Ocean in 1986-1987. Moscow, VNIRO,

1988, pp. 118-123.

Grachev, A.I., Mymrin, N.I. "Number and Age-Sex Composition of Walruses at

Haul-outs on the Chukotka Peninsula." Research Works on Marine Mammals of the Northern

Pacific Ocean in 1989-1990. Moscow, VNIRO, 1991, pp. 48-51.

Kibalchich, A.A. "Reproductive Biology and Natural Reserves of the Pacific Walrus."

Dissertation Abstracts. Moscow, VNIRO, 1984. 25 pages.

Kibalchich, A.A. "Evaluation of the Resources and Juvenile Death Rates in Pacific

Walruses." In the book Marine Mammals. Moscow, VNIRO, 1990, pp. 23-29.

Kleinenberg, S.Ye., and Klevezal, G.A. Determining the Age of Mammals Based on

the Layer Structure of the Teeth and Bones. Nauka, 1967.

Mymrin, N .I., Grachev, A.I. "Number and Gender Composition of Walruses on Haul­

outs in the Gulf of Anadyr and Arakamchechen Island in 1984." Study, Protection and

Rational Use of Marine Mammals (Thesis Report for the Ninth All-Union Conference).

Arkhangelsk, 1986, pp. 286-287.

Mymrin, N.I., Smirnov, G.P., Gayevskii, A.S., Grachev, A.I., Klimenko, Yu.Y.

"Migration of Pacific Walruses and the Dynamics ofTheir Numbers at Haul-outs." Research

Works on Marine Mammals of the Northern Pacific Ocean in 1986-1987. Moscow, YNIRO,

1988, pp. 109-115.

Mymrin, N.I., Smirnov, G.P., Gayevskii, A.S., Kovalenko, Y.Ye. "Seasonal

Distribution and Numbers of Walruses in the Gulf of Anadyr of the Bering Sea." Zoo/.

Zhurn., 1990, vol. 69, issue 3, pp. 105-113.

Walrus Harves/ Moni!Oring on Chukolka in 2000 Page 46 Nikulin, P.G. "Chukotka Walrus." Publications ofTINRO, 1941, vol. 20, pp. 21-59.

Report on the Scientific Work "Socioecological Evaluation of the Use and State of

Marine Mammals Resources in the Gulf of Kresta." (G.P. Smimov) Anadyr, 1996, p. 45.

(ChukotTINRO Archives)

Rinteimit, V.M., Agnagisyak, M.D., Smimov, G.P. \Valrus Harvest Monitoring On

Chukotka in 1999 (Technical Report for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Anchorage,

Alaska, 2000, 65 pages.

Works in English

Fay, F. H. "Ecology and Biology of the Pacific Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus divergens

Illiger." North Amer. Fauna, no. 74. Washington, DC, US Dept. of the Interior, Fish and

Wildlife Service, 1982. 279 pages.

Fay, F.H., Bums, J.J., Stocker, S.W., and Grundy, J.S. "The Struck-and-Lost Factor in Alaskan Walrus Harvests, 1952-1972." 1994,Arctic 47: pp. 368-373.

Garlich-Miller, J. "Estimating the Harvest of Pacific Walrus in Alaska." In:

Proceedings of the workshop concerning walrus harvest monitoring in Alaska and Chukotka.

Nome. Alaska. September 22-25. 1998: pp. 21-26.

Smimov, G.P. "Monitoring the Pacific Walrus Harvest in Russia: History and Present

Time.'' In: Proceedings of the workshop concerning walrus harvest monitoring in Alaska and Chukotka. Nome, Alaska. September 22-25, 1998: pp. 29-34.

J!(drus Han L:SI :\fonitoring 011 Chulwtlw in _1 000 APPENDICES

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 48 ~ 5"" [;; ~ ::; '· QSerdtse-Kamen Haul-out r'ii :::. ~ ~h. ··."- ~ - ,.::-~ utenskoye llaul-out c;"' 0 --: ·~G\tnchounskoye Haul-out ::;· [)q a Inchoun Ji/::!!!'. Uclen "' QHaukanskoye ~ CHUKOTKA PENINSULA (' ~ -~'·l' ff. 11~!-out ~ Kosa lltinaya -~·":·-· ~orino ·=·~_·:,. , ONunyamskoye Hauf K R tk ~ .(' osa e -·~o ,~ ·'•· "' ·~ ..,.,.. 'J: ··.... _ Lavrentiya '"a a @J{..,udderskoye Haul-out a G)"'ae• -;.;;pO ,. " QAkkaniiskoye llaul-o.ut (Cape Kriigyigun) Meyechkynskoye ~:~ Haul-out Cape Khalyustkin Enmelen

BERING STRAIT

GULFOFANADYR Provideniya

Illustration I. Map of the research area: location of observers

Walrus Harvest Moniloring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 50 ~I I OO'Y.1 2 "' ~I 90% ~ :::. fl 80% a :::!. ~I 70'Yo ::::: "0 ~ ~ >0-- 60% a ;;;.. - !::; ~ riJ 50% - ~ "-'::;:, riJ ::;:, ::::: J,.o = 40% -~ 30'%

20%

10%

May June July August September October Six-month Total Months

[• Males o~em~ll~~j

!::; 'r.;""' ._,"' Illustration 3. Sex composition of harvested walruses for all vi II ages over the course of the season . lnchoun

!00'' ~ I• !J

~O':.C

60~\.

lOS 40~u "

~(ill

0% May June July Aug Sept Oi,':t 6'1 Months

tJ~Ie-n Lorino

1~ 100"'"~ ll n 100"!,(, SO~-~ 11 &0% ' !

1 " 60% I 60% I 1 Ill 279 J( "" .w·~~ 1! 40%

20~,

O"o o~~ Ma) IJune July Aug Sc-pr 0" 6M :..·iJy June Jul) Aug S..:pt 0.:: h\! \tonths Month~

\"anrak~ nnut Novo·Chaplino

IOO'~r lOW~u

80'' 80''1:

6o-:J {)()"u 23 12 40%

20~"

oe, 0'1, i\.-1 a~ Jvn.: Jul;. Aug Scp! Oc: I>M May Jun.: J.d; Aug Sept Ot! nM

~1onths Month.\

Wi:I!rus Harvest Moniwring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 52 hu;buun

lOO':J I'

lll5 .j()",,

May June July Aug Sept. OcL 6M Months

Uelen Lorino

ll 39 -c 80'% n ~ i I ~ 60% "'<:; lo lll ...~ 40", ~ 20';,

0% :\tay IJune July Aug. Sept. OcL 6M May June July Aug. Sept Oct 6M Months Months

Yanrak~ nnot N(wo--Chaplino

100'',

18 '3 12 40%

0% May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. 6M May June July Aug Sept Oct 6\\ l\lonths Monlh~

Sireoiki Eomelen

100%

41

60% 25 l) 19

1\l.t;. June July Aug St·p:, 0.;: M::~y June July Aug. S:;pl (kt Months Months Illustration 4. Seasonal dynamic of sex composition of harvest kills, by village.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 52 1:>~ :;-- ;::: "'I 25 ~.., I ~ ~ ~ :::. • Males (n=257) 0 j·' 20 D Females (tF48) <:l ;:, Q ;::: ;>,.. <:l "'C ~ ~ 15 ::;· - "-' - c c :2 c II:) ~ II:)= -"" 10 ~

5 1-

l ] 0 n n Ill ~ h h ~ n ~ J n ~ 1 ~ ] 1 n ~ 1•• 1 I I 2 8 20 22 24 26 28 3 32 34 . 36 38 40 ., Age ~ Jllustration 5. Age and sex composition of harvest kills on Chukotka Peninsula in 2000, based on data from biological analyses. w""• 12 Chukchii Sea • Males (n=l07) 10 D Females (n=9)

"C .: B :;,.::

"'Q,j 8 "':I ..:: ~= 4

2

0 N ... CD ;1j CD "' "' ~ ~ ~ !! !! ~ !:: ~ N !i! ~ ~ ~ l!! ~

12 Bering Strait • Males (n=l27) 10 D Females (n=lO) .:"C B ~ "'Q,j ..."':I 6 = ~ 4

2

0 N ... ID ... ID N ID ~ g .., "' "' .. ~ ~ ~ !! "'N ~ N :1.: N .., ~ :5: ..."'

12 Gulf of Anadyr • Males (n=21) 10 D Females (n=29)

4

Illustration 6. Age-sex composition of walrus kills on the coasts of the Chukchii Sea, in the Bering Strait and in the Gulf of Anadyr, based on data from biological analyses.

ifalrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 54 ~ Table 1. Final data for Walrus Uarn•st l\1onitoring on Chukotka in 2000 ::'! ,- :;: r..hk~ ing Females ~ J v­ ~ -_, ~ '/) ~ ~ <=1 :w :::: ~t; ::: ... ::: Cl! ~ '-'/'; .a) " ~ £2 :J \:: J; V illaEcs. Month~ ~ .8 .-,::'"' -;; E ;: " .:; ~ ~ ~· :,j..:.:e i:: :: :1l :s'"' % ~... -:; -;:; -;:; -:; ~ ~ ~ ::: .... "' ~ '5 0 ·~ '-/ -= _0 ~r= z. ;..- < ~ ;..- 1- z"' ;..-"' .-,: -1. ;.:; "' ,_)r.l) 3 -u.. f~ ---,...-'-"'"' May Lorino 17 () 0 15 0 ,-- I 0 () -- X U..:len () () () 0 () () (j ;::;- lnchoun 2 () () () j 0 () I ------::- I -* ,.. () () () () () I () () () 2 f Enurmmo o o :>;­ I 19 () I 17 I 0 I I () () 9 <:: Subtotal fur 0 , Chukotskii IJistrict ~~-- -- 0 () 2 () () 14 '"~ ~ () () 0 () () :.: ~ f :-. () I 2 () 2 5 f--:-c-- () () () () 6 1 Subtotal for 10 () 0 I 6 0 0 2 .13 Provideni)a District __i Subtotal for 1\hty 29 () () 2 22 0 24 (] () 3 2 () 5 (] 2 42 June Lorino 48 () () 17 25 () 42 (] ! () () 6 0 6 0 3 19 Uclcn 14 0 3 4 I o 0 7 () 2 4 0 7 () 5 9 lnchoun 0 0 0 0 () () 0 () () () () () 0 0 0 () Enurmino () () () 0 () () () () 0 0 () 0 0 0 0 0 Subtotal fm· t.2 () 3 21 25 () 49 () 2 4 7 0 I] () R 2X Chukotskii District Novo-Chaplino 3 I I () () 0 2 () () 0 () () 0 12 Sircniki () o I o () () 0 () () () 0 () () () 0 0 Enmclcn 5 o I o 2 0 3 () 0 0 (I () 0 0 () ') () () (I Y 2 0 0 0 0 ; 0 0 2 f anrakvnnot-. -- 2 2 o I () 0 Subtotal for 10 0 () 5 0 7 o I () I () I 0 () 15 0 __!'ro\:_i~(>niya Uistrict ~ i I "';:: ~ [subtotal for .lune 1 1 2:' :w 0 56 0 2 4 R 0 14 2 X 4J ~ "' [§:~~;tal r~.: 2 months I J 2--1 () ~0 0 2 7 to () 19 2 0 X5 "" Table 1. Final data for Walrus Harvest 1\lonitodng on Chukotka in 2000 (continued) ::::­- :::::, in<.! 111g. F cmalcs ~ ~ ~. ~ ~ '-' I) '-' .. :.; CIJ ::::. cr. "' ~0 .1; " :: ~ !:: ~ Villages. Months E ;:; .8 -;:: ..= :§ 2 ~ ..;;:" 2 ~ :: ,.,, -=.:..:: .. :(j .2 3 :: '"3 .g .g .-: .: "' lJ ..- ":;; ~ lJ -::1 ":;; 0"' ,,., 1.1 .:::- ...0 ~~ ~ ;,-. ..-:: ~ ~ ~ 7. I ..-:: ~ ;:J ....)(/) l - 3 -~ .IIJIL -- Lorino II~ () - "2 57 () Ill () 0 4 0 7 0 5 ~~ Uclcn 2X 0 0 16 5 0 21 I 0 0 6 0 7 0 3 (, \j :::- lnchoun 7 () 0 I 6 0 II 0 0 0 0 2 7 Enurmino 49 0 0 0 49 0 () () () 0 19 7 t,.,. () (,') () () :::: Subtotal for 202 2 117 0 to 14 29 38 Chukotskii District ~· -- N ovo-istr:_kt I ...... Subtotal for Aut~u!lt 144 0 I 35 70 0 106 3 10 24 0 3X 0 19 5X -, "' Subtotal for 4 l 391 6 104 4 19R Table I. Final data for Walrus l-larvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 (continued) ;::~ r;; Males ing Females __ ......

i:?' /. ~ V• /i E z- ;:: :., "'~ :..> !=: :.> ::: ::: e~ fl "" ~u "'/1 .BJ "'.1: :J :J V illal'cs. Month~ ;: ::; .8 ~ ~ .!':, ::: § ;: "a ;. ... ~ -=~ ~ -::; .g ;:; .g ..: Ji ~ "5 -5 =5 .g.~ I -s0 .~ l) :J .§ !}, ;,... ~ ..-:: ;::i ;,..."' ~ ..-:: _, lfJ ...J ~r! . ,I I f- z ,_.) ~c:c::: I - r-;~~ - he•· - -~ .. I () I Lor it~> 45 24 5 45 (l () () () () () 0 () 19 lJ ~.:len 14 0 2 7 ') () () 5 () () 5 0 () .:1 ~ lnchoun 6X () I (>7 6X I o 0 () () 0 () () () 14 ;;;.. () () () () Cl Enunnino 2.:1 0 :1 3 2.1 0 I I 5 11 ~ Subtotal for !51 () 1 35 10') 3 145 () 5 I () 6 0 I 1 4X

k,J () () () () ;::::, IS 0 7 II IX I o 0 0 0 0 1 10 ;::::, () () I) ;::::, Sircmk 1 0 (I () 0 (l 0 0 0 () 0 0 () Emnl.'k1J YJ 0 0 7 () 0 () 10 0 13 () 12 I y () () 0 () () () 0 () 1-. 5 0 0 I Subtotal fm· 62 0 0 :15 () 49 0 () 10 () 3 0 13 30 t•rovidcniya l.)istrict I Subtotal l"or Sept. 213 () 49 144 3 194 IJ 0 15 4 0 19 0 24 78 Subtotal l"o r 5 months 712 2 8 IXO 395 3 585 2 5 47 63 6 123 4 86 27(, Octohl·r· Lorino 29 () 0 12 I 17 I o 29 0 0 0 0 0 I o 0 II Uclcn 52 0 (, 23 I 6 I 0 35 () 2 12 3 o I 17 (I 4 5 lnchlllm 17 0 0 o I 14 ! o 14 (I () 2 o I J 0 3 12 Enurm11Hl 0 () () o I o I 0 () () 0 0 o I o () 0 0 Suhtotal for 9X 0 11 35 1 :.7 - r o 7R 2 14 4 o I 20 () X 28 Chukotskii Uistrict N m·o-( 'haplino 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 () () () () () 4 () () 19 0 19 (I () () 3 . () 'I Sin:niki - I o I 3 0 J 10 Enmckn 13 o I () 2 II () 13 (I () () 0 () o I () () 3 Y anrakynnol 3 0 () I 2 () 3 I 0 0 0 0 0 () 0 I Suhtotal for 40 0 () .l 34 () 37 II () 0 3 0 3 () :; IX :::,"::: 'r.: Prm·ideni\'a l.)istrict () I) "'v, I_Strhtolal f()r Oc_toh~r ~---ll!l 71 15 II 2 7 0 2J 0 " [~!f.j~s(> ~~-· ~ _T

~ 'r.: "'v, ::.0 Table 3. Age composition of harvested walruses, by village.

Months 1\ewborns Yearlings Adolescents Adults Unknown Toral

------c----~-1------~--~------~---+---~S~cx~-----!---~~--0 -·------abs. ___0~---t--=.:a b=s~. --~'l-.::..'0 -+.....:a=bs:·~+--...:.";.::.;, ___:a:.::b~s·-l-__:%c=---1--=a.::.b:s~. ____ -.:;o...:. abs. ~ o Lorino _M_a_y ______o::-----(._J_o--;·--o,----ifi) 1 5.9 16 94.1 o.o o.o 17 100.

June () 0.0 0 0.0 )7 !--=3.::_5:_.4 ___3:.:1---11- .. 6.::...4.:.:..··.::...6 _1_..::0. ..::...0 0.0 _____:48:.:.:. -4---~·.c0:...:.0. -J~Iy 0 00 2 1.7 56 47.5 60 50.8 0.0 0.0 118 __.. _ ;~~~~~~:~- ... ul 24_ _ o ___Q,tl_ --~~--•-46.3 ___:::.2:.....1 ...... J ...::.s.-.:1..::...3. -J...--..::.o:...o: __ ___.::._o_.:o::--+-·....:..4.::...1_1- too. ~"':::: ".:r1-'..:..::"-'..:..:: ":.::. ,, u_c::.:•____: ______:______....::O:.:.:.O:-t~-.:..1--~...:2:.:.:.2:...· ...:.!-.....:2:.::.3_-1..::....::...64.:..:.4 ..:..____:1.::...5 -+-=3:.::.3.:... 4-l-_O.:.:..:.O ___O:O.::.._l---_4.:.:5-1.....:.c1 0::.:.:0_:.._· October 0 0.0 0 0.0 12 41.4 17 58.6 0.0 0.0 29 100. __6-mo... ____total .. I 0.3 3 1.1 134 44.9 160 53.7 0.0 0.0 298 100. __ U:::.'.:.:Ie.:.:le.~n: ______---::----:~+--:-----,--:--+--:--+-:--:-----=--+--:-c- 1------i----f---- May 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 100. _J~u;,..nc;..______;.._o_...... ,;o_;.o,....._s;,-...... ;3;,;;5.;,-.. 7 8 57.1 1 7.2 o .o o .o 14 1oo. July 0 0.0 0 0.0 22 78.5 6 21.5 0.0 0.0 28 I 00. _A.,...... ugu-st------,-o-...... ,;o,..,_o,....._.,_l--1,;.,0..;,-.o 3 30.0 6 60.0 o.o o.o 10 100. September 0 0.0 0 0.0 7 50.0 7 50.0 0.0 0.0 14 100. October 0 0.0 8 15.4 35 67.3 9 17.3 0.0 0.0 52 100. 6-mo. total 0 0.0 14 I 1.7 75 63.5 29 24.8 0.0 0.0 118 100. lnchoun Mav 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 I 00. 0.0 0.0 ~ 100. June 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 () () () 100. July 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 14.3 6 85.7 0.0 0.0 7 100 . . .:.A:.::,cu.._gu_s_r ______.::.o ____ _::o..:.:.o:___;--o:.::...... __:::.:o ..::.o_-+_2 10.0 ··ts- 90.0 o.o o.o ~o 100. _s~,e~prerm~lb:,~er __~-----o~_~o~.o-+---~o __o=.0-+-1~ -~-~1=.5 ____6~i·7_+=9~8.~5-l--~o.o~_-=o.~o~ . ..::::.:.:68 -100. 0_:-c~ro_b_c_:...r ______.. _____ O__ ~O-c.0__ +--=----0.--'0:..:.:'··0,_+--'2 11.8 15 _88.2~...::.0·:.::..0 __ 0c.:.::.·0__ +---cl...:....7 -+--'l.cOc_Oc..:.....· __ ,6:...:··1m:=:.o.to=ta::l:..... __ ~--~~ _O.,___ :O.:.::..O ___ +_...... :::o~.-~.::...:.OlO:.::..._t-----:6=---+-'5,:_::.3:.______1:..:::0.::..8-{---9::...:4~. 7 --t-~0:-_.0~--0~.:.::. .0_-1-··l.l.i_ I 00. Enurmino -=::=.:::-.:.:::.::....._.. __ ... __c:-- ___--::--:c~----- .. --:----+·--:-- --1------f.---+---~---~1-----+----.. - May o o.o ...... ::.o~---=o.:...o:'--je---.o:.::.____-+-..::..o:.::..o __--'o'--+-o:::..:.::..o ~o ·o:.:.::.....-:-o_,_...:.o=-----1--·:l·.::o.::.o:·...:. June 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 00 o.()- . - 0 100. _July__ 0 00 0 0.0 0 0.0 49 100. 00 0.0 4~-- 100. AU!,'USl 0 ()() 0 Q,()_ 7 41.2 10 58.L 0.0 0.0 ~ 1'_ .....:·: September 0 0.0 ..... 0 0.0 3 12.5 21 87j- -3.0~~~..:__ 24 ~- Octllber 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 O.Q___'----(~--~00. 6-mo.total . o ____Q.(l __ Q__ oo 10 11.2 80 88.2 io " 9o 100.- -~~~o-C_!Jl~Jllino ---o---o.o ·· o - o.o -0 · o.o ~-]oo~"ti~(J--0.0 2 100. ~~~------· -~--~~~--~----~-+-~~---~~-----=--+ June 1 33.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 66.7 0.0 0.0 3 100. July 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 6 I 00. 0.0 0.0 6 100. August 0 0.0 7.7 5 38.5 7 53.8 0.0 0.0 13 I 00. September 0 0.0 0 0.0 7 38.9 11 61.1 0.0 0.0 18 100. October () 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 100. 0.0 0.0 100. 6-mo. total 2.3 2.3 12 27.3 30 6S. 1 0.0 0.0 44 100. Sireniki Mav 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 100.. () 0.0 0.0 0.0 3 100. June 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 ().() () 100. Julv 2 6.3 3.1 8 25.0 13 40.6 8.0 25.0 32 100. August 0 OJ) 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 100. 0.0 0.0 lOll

?Ya/ru.s Harvest Moni10ring on Chuk01ka in 2000 Page 5Y Table 4. Age composition of harvested walruses, by village. (Continued)

Months Newborns Yearlings Adolescents Adults Unknown Total Sex 0. abs. 0;-Q abs. % abs. % abs. /0 abs. 0/0 abs. "•u --- Enmelen May 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 25.0 3 75.0 0.0 0.0 4 100. June 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 20.0 2 40.0 2 40.0 5 100. Julv 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 II 100. 0.0 0.0 II 100. _Au~_ 0 0.0 2 6.1 6 18.2 25 75.7 0.0 0.0 33 100. September 0 0.0 0 0.0 17 43.6 22 56.4 0.0 0.0 39 100. October 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 15.4 II 84.6 0.0 0.0 13 100. 6-mo. total 0 0.0 2 1.9 27 26.2 74 71.9 0.0 0.0 103 100. Y anrakvnnot May 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 100. 0.0 0.0 I 100. June 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 100. 0.0 0.0 2 100. July 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 100. 0.0 0.0 3 100. August 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 33.3 6 66.7 0.0 0.0 l) 100. September 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 100. 0.0 0.0 5 100. October 0 0.0 0 0.0 I 33.3 2 66.7 0.0 0.0 3 100. _6_-_nl~o~.t~o~ta~l ______o~ __~o~.o_J __~o--~o~.o~~4--~~~~7._4 __~19 __ ~8=2.~6_L_o~.o~ __o~.o~L_=23~~

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 60 Table 4. Difference between official data and data from monitoring program in 2000.

Number of Walruses Harvested Monitoring Official Villages Months Data Data Difference Inchoun + 2 24 22 ··--·· 0

189 0

Lorino 17 56 39 48 0 -48

41 56 15 45 21 -24 29 Subtotal 298 245 -53 4 3 - ~··-----··------·-··----- 0 3 0 -3 9 2 -7

3 0 -3 Subtotal 23 19 -4 -2 3 0 -3 6 0 -6 Al!gust _ 13 4 -9 Se tembcr 18 2 -16 2 0

Sireniki 3 3 0 June 0 0 0 30 4 -26 ------···--··--·------··- 1 20 19 0 3 3

Subtotal 56 30 -26 Enmelen 2 -2 -.).. 45 34 0 -33

October 13 0 -13 Subtotal 103 47 -56 TOTAL 756 622 -134

Walrus Harvest Monuoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 61 Attachment 1

Program: Walrus Monitoring on Chukotka

Name of team foreman:

Notes on hunt (area of hunt. method ofharvesting, notes on weather. ice conditions. etc.):

Use check marks to show sex and age of each walrus

Sex Approximate Age :-.io. Male Fern. Gnkn. Newb. Year. Adlsnt Adult Unkn. 1\otes

------+-----t-----1---·--- __ , ____ ------·------

------·-----1------1----1------~---t--·------

Total number of walruses taken during hunting foray: _____ head.

Any losses or wounded animals? (circle one) Yes No Unknown How many?

Name of observer ______Date of reporting

NOTE: 1. The numbering of the harvested walruses must be sequential (that is, the numbers on new pages should continue the numbering from the previous page). 2. When collecting the teeth from harvested walruses. the number on the envelope should coincide with the sequential number noted in the journal.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 62 -..;·~ Attachment 2 :;: Summary Rq>ort fi.)r Results of Walrus llarvest Monitoring ~ in village of ______for 2000 "'~

- ··-- 1 Village Including Males Including Females Sex l.ost No. of not Wnl- forays est. ruses

~>;- .0 .: :: '3 ..!<: I "' ~ v -;:5- ~ I]-o -o <::: 7. I~..-:: .-,:: ,_; I~7. < .-,:: :.J ~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I I " •.. •. ' ·- ' ·- . . 15 16 I 17 ~ 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I s I 9~ 10 11 12 13 14 '"~ ~ ~

name)

NOTES:

Instructions for village observers on completing the monthly monitoring report on the walrus harvest.

I. In blank 2. indicate the total number of harvested walruses for the reporting period . . In blanks 2 through 8. total the data from the observation journals. indicating only the males. with a breakdown by age categories. 3. In blanks 9 through 14. total the data from the observation journnls, indicating only the females, with a breakdown by age catego­ ·ies . . In blank 15, indicate the number of walruses for which you were unable to establish the sex through any possible means. 5. In blank 16. indicate the number of walruses that were not brought to shore (wounded animals that were lost, walruses that sank). if ..,.., ~ou have such data. ·~" . In blank 17, indicate the total number of hunting rorays. including those that were unsuccessful. ~ 7. The monthly summary report is relayed by telephone to the district coordinator by the fifth day of the following month. ~ At achmcnt 3 ~ ._,:;; e Summary Report for Results of Walrus Harvest Monitoring .,: in district of for '2000 "'~ -;..

------.. --· ·- ·- ~ ~ ~------c Village ~­ Number of Including Males Including Females : Sex --Lost-l- No. of ~ Walruses g not Wal- forays Taken ruses - est. ;:(J - - .------I ~ LC ...: .D c ::: ;.. w ...: ~ c -"' ;-:; :: .!.< ;;;.. ~ '6 .§ "::: "' '6 v <= 0"' 1::: / :.-- -.,-: ..-,: ~ ~ %"' :.--"' ..-,: ..... -' f-. ------" ,_ ------·- -- -· I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 16 17 a . - - -·- -· ------''"'a a

------~---·- 1--- ·---

'

I

I

- --- I -· ------·· ------District Total ------·- ' -·--- L_._____ Additional Information:

-·- - ·------tr·-istrict... Coordinator·· -· ------· (full name) bate

NoTE:

";: 1::: 'i:; ~eport to be faxed to Project Scientific l.eader Gennadii Smirnov at (42722) 4-67-() I and Joel Garlich-Miller at (907) 786- 3~ 16 by the ...."'0\ enth of the following month. Attachment 4

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka

WORKING PLAN

No. Action Deadline Responsible Notes

Working meeting on results of May 2000 Joel Garlich- Russian walrus harvest monitoring on Miller and Larry participants: Chukotka and in Alaska in 1999. Dickerson, heads M. Agnakisyak, Development of walrus harvest of walrus harvest I. Makotrik. monitoring program in 2000. monitoring in the V. Rinteimit, Training on harvest monitoring United States; A. Ottoi, methods. Receipt of equipment Jacob Olanna. G. Smirnov, and materials for field and executive V. Bychkov laboratory work. Signing of director of contract with Alaskan Eskimo Alaskan Eskimo Walrus Commission and receipt Walrus offunding for implementation of Commission; project in 2000 (Nome, Alaska, Austin Amasuk. USA). natural resource office, Kawerak Incor orated. 2 Selection of observers for April- May District monitoring program in villages of 2000 coordinators: M. Yanrakynnot and Enurmino. Agnak is yak, V. Initial instruction. provision of Rinteimit. working documents and e ui ment. 3 Presentation of program in June-July District The working villages of Chukotskii and 2000 coordinators: M. trips by the Provideniya districts (meetings Agnakisyak, V. district with local officials, hunters and Rinteimit. coordinators are community groups ofNative G. Smirnov, particularly peoples). Training for observers scientific leader. important. They on methods for collecting should be carried firsthand field data, working with out immediately, monthly reports. Distribution to as soon as them of 1999 reports, working practically documents, equipment, special possible.

4 Presentation of program in the June- G. Smirnov, capital of the C hukotka October scientific leader. Autonomous Region, Anadyr. 2000 5 Walrus harvest monitoring in :\1ay - :\1onitoring e1ght villages. October program

f.f'alrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 65 Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka

WORKING PLAN (continued)

6 Submission of monthly Monthly Monitoring Reports are monitoring reports from villages program submitted by to district coordinators. observers. telephone by the fifth day of the following month. At the same time. written reports are sent by mail or delivered by hand. 7 Submission of monthly summary Monthly District Reports are reports on monitoring coordinators: M. submitted by fax observations from the districts to Agnakisyak, V. by the tenth day scientific leaders G. Smimov, and Rinteimit; ofthe following to J. Garlich-Miller: and to Karl G. Smimov, month. Kava of the Alaskan Eskimo scientific leader. Walrus Commission [fax: (907)

8 Collection of biological materials Ongoing District All samples (teeth) to determine age of coordinators: M. should be walruses, with delivery ofthe Agnakisyak, V. provided to the samples to Anadyr. Rinteimit; scientific leader observers. by December 1, 2000. 9 Collection of observation journals November District Copies of the from observers. Photocopying of 2000 coordinators: M. journals should journals. Subm1ssion of Agnakisyak. V. be submitted to photocopies to scientific leader G. Rinteimit the sc1cnti fie Smirnov. leader, G. Smirnov, by December I, 2000. 10 Laboratory processing of December G. Smimov, collected teeth and their optical 2000 scientific leader. study to determine ages of walruses. l l Preparation of computer database September- G. Smimov. on walrus harvest in monitored December scientific leader. villages, preparation of scientific 2000

12 Collection of materials on cultural May- District traditions and customs relating to October coordinators: M. walrus harvesting. 2000 Agnakisy ak, V. Rinteimit; ltalrus Han·es/ Afoniwring on Chuko1ka in 2000 Page 66 Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka

WORKING PLAN (continued)

13 Preparation of sections by district September­ District coordinators for the final report. November coordinators: M. Submission of suggestions for the 2000 Agnakisyak, V. general sections of the report. Rinteimit. Submission of text and graphic appendices for the report. 14 Preparation of fmal report. December G. Smimov, 1999- scientific leader; February district 2000 coordinators: M. Agnakisyak, V. Rinteimit. 15 Payment to observers and district Monthly District Payment to be coordinators. coordinators: M. made by the Agnakisyak, V. tenth day of the Rinteimit. following month. 16 Submission of monthly financial Monthly District Report is reports in English to the Alaskan coordinators: M. submitted by fax Eskimo Walrus Commission Agnakisyak, V. no later than the (Nome, Alaska) [fax: (907) 443- Rinteimit; 12th of the 4588]. G. Smimov, month. scientific leader. 17 Submission of the final technical March 2 00 I District and financial reports, with backup coordinators: M. documentation, to the Alaskan Agnakisyak, V. Eskimo Walrus Commission Rinteimit; (Nome, Alaska). G. Smimov, scientific leader. 18 Working meeting on results of March 2001 Joel Garlich­ walrus harvest monitoring in Miller and Larry 2000. Planning of work for 200 I. Dickerson, heads Training on harvest monitoring of walrus harvest methods. Receipt of equipment monitoring in the and materials for field and United States; laboratory work. Signing of Jacob Olanna, contract with Alaskan Eskimo executive Walrus Commission and receipt director of of funding for implementation of Alaskan Eskimo project in 2001 (Nome, Alaska, Walrus USA). Commission; Austin Amasuk, natural resource office, Kawcrak Incorporated.

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 67 Attachment 5

INSTRUCTIONS For Collecting Teeth from Harvested (Found) Walruses for Determining Age

Observers (monitors), prior to hunting forays, provide to captains (hunting team leaders) plastic bags and permanent markers, as well as pencils and paper for notations.

The captains or other responsible individuals, prior to dividing up harvested walruses, collect the teeth and package them in the plastic bags using the following procedure:

I. At the site where the walrus meat is divided, the harvested walruses are numbered in order (1, 2, 3, ... ),and a plastic bag is placed beside each walrus carcass. Notations on the plastic bags (only write on dry plastic bags) include the number, an indication of the sex of the animal, the age class (newborn, yearling, adolescent or adult) and date of harvest­ ing. The plastic bag can be held down with a stone or placed in the mouth cavity of the walrus, with efforts made to prevent the labeling from becoming too stained with blood. In order to ensure that the information is preserved, a paper label with the same informa­ tion written in pencil should be placed inside the plastic bag.

2. Beginning with walrus No. 1, remove and collect the teeth, and package them in the appropriate plastic bags.

COLLECT ONLY THE LOWER FRONT TEETH

Removed teeth (just the two lower front teeth) are packaged in the plastic bags in such a way as to ensure that they cannot accidentally fall out of the bag and mix with teeth from other walruses.

3. All the bags with the teeth from walruses harvested in one foray should be placed in one common bag on which is marked, in permanent marker, the date of the foray and the name of the captain (hunting team leader).

4. After returning from the foray, the bag with the collected teeth is given to the observer (monitor).

The observer (monitor) keeps track of all the harvested walruses in a special working journal (table), marking the sequential numbers of the harvested walruses from the first to last of the season.

Upon receipt of a package with collected teeth, the observer records in the journal the information on the harvested walruses and simultaneously assigns them sequential num­ bers. The collected teeth are removed from the plastic bags; cleaned of dirt, blood and oil; dried; and then packaged in special paper envelopes. Marked on the envelopes are the sequential number (not the number from the plastic bag but the sequential number from the working journal), sex, cause of death of the animal, date when the animal was killed or found, village, name of the observer and, in certain cases, notes (for example, notation of why just one tooth instead of a pair was received, or notation of some anatomical anomaly, and so on). When possible. the teeth packaged in the paper envelopes are handed over to the district coordinator, who in tum sends them to the scientific leader in Anadyr.

Scientific Leader for the Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka Program G. Smimov Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 61? Attachment 6

Teeth from Walrus No. ------­ (sequential number of walrus in the workingjournal-filled in by observer)

Identification Code: ------(filled in by scientific leader)

1. One envelope is used for packaging the teeth from just one walrus. The following information must be provided for each walrus:

Sex: Male 0 Female 0 Unknown 0

Cause of Death: Harvesting 0 Natural Causes 0 Unknown 0 Other: ------Date When Walrus Was Harvested (or Found):

Village: ------Observer (Monitor): Notes: ------

2. Position of lower teeth that must be removed and packaged.

jaw ~:. ~ ~ lowerteeth

3. Send to the following address:

Chukotka Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center. Otke. 56. Anadyr. P.O. Box 29, Chukotka, Russia 689000 Tei./Fax: (42722) 2-67-61

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 69 Attachment 7

Speech by Vladimir Rinteimit

"Pacific Walrus as an Object of Traditional Harvesting Among the Native Peoples of Chukotka"

Bering Days Conference, October II, 2000 Anchorage, Alaska, USA

For the Native peoples of Chukotka, the walrus is enormously imponant its significance is difficult to overestimate. The following factors have contributed to this:

I. The walrus is easier to harvest than the whale.

2. The sum of useful products taken from the walrus is greater than from any other marine animal.

3. Walrus meat can be preserved for the winter, and it lasts a long time when traditional methods of preserving are used.

If we look at a map of the villages in the region, we see that the current and previously inhabited settlements are located near walrus haul-outs. Our ancestors knew how to select settlement sites so that they and future generations of Chukchis and Eskimos would always be able to harvest walruses and therefore always have a supply of meat and oil from the marine animals for the long, cold winter. The task for the current generation is to revive and preserve the traditional methods of using natural resources and to pass that on to the next generation.

We all know how damaged the northern environment is, and human activities bear the greatest blame for this. Environmental disasters and inappropriate or improper use of natural resources have caused Nature to decline and to give us less, which means that humans cannot fully make use of natural resources. The only way that we can overcome these problems is by working together, all of us: hunters, experts and scientists that study traditional harvesting.

In recent years organizations ofChukotka's Native peoples and Native-run companies have begun to work more closely with private groups and scientific organizations from

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 70 Russia and abroad. At first, this collaboration was tentative: in Russia, science and traditional natural resource usage were separated from one another for too long; scientists did not take advantage of Native people's knowledge of traditional harvesting, and the Native peoples went unaware of the results of scientific work in this area. And the Native peoples were long separated on either side of the Bering Strait. But in the past decade, the situation has been changing.

We have the opportunity to see how theN ative peoples ofAlaska work with scientists and the benefits that this collaboration produces for both sides.

1 would like to discuss how we have worked in the past year to implement the

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka project.

In our Chukotskii District, where 80 percent of all the marine animals harvested on

Chukotka are taken, the project covered the three villages where the walrus harvest is most intense: Inchoun, Uelen and Lorino.

In selecting the observers, the organizations of Native peoples based their decisions on the premise that at this stage ofthe project, all the observers should be directly involved in the harvesting of marine animals, including walruses. because it will be easier for them than for others not connected with the harvest to provide for the count of harvested walruses.

This is due to the conditions in which the harvesting takes place on Chukotka, which differ to some extent from the conditions in which walruses are harvested in Alaska. In our district, a large number of the walruses harvested are taken in the autumn for meat to prepare for the winter. The autumn harvest is done near walrus haul-outs, and during this period the hunters live at bases from which it is easier to conduct the harvesting.

The hunter-observers must be able to receive and document many different types of information relating to the walrus harvest process. After all, besides the number of harvested walruses. they must document the age-sex composition, the number of struck­ and-lost walruses and harvesting conditions (and weather and ice conditions in the harvesting areas). As you know, none of this information is included in official reports provided to the

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 71 agencies that regulate the harvesting, although this information is clearly of interest to scientists.

At the start of the project, representatives from the Russian side visited Alaska, where we were given detailed information on what is done here, in Alaska, in this area.

This year the project has already expanded to include another village in the Chukotskii

District, Enurmino, which is also located near a walrus haul-out.

The project's expansion is not just geographical in nature. This year the observers began to collect teeth from the harvested walruses. Future plans also call for the collection of the reproductive organs of harvested females.

In conclusion, on behalf of the heads of the Russian side of the project, I would like to thank all those who have worked to implement this project. This includes Dr. Thomas

Albert from the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, Barrow; Joel

Garlich-Miller and Larry Dickerson, representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage; and current and past heads of the Alaskan Eskimo Walrus Commission. Thank you very much for your support and for understanding our problems. We hope that our project will continue in the future.

- V. Rinteimit

Walrus Harvest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 72 Attachment 8

Distribution of Equipment Received in 2000

No. Lorino Uelen Inchoun Enurmino Lavrentiva

2 3 J ackct liner

8 Boots 2 9 Lam 10 Poncho 11 12 Protective mask ·~--~·-·-·---·-··-·---

District coordinator V. Rinteimit

Walrus HwTest Monitoring on Chukotka in 2000 Page 73