The Towline VOL 3 NO 2 from the Director the Bowhead Whale Census Went Late in 2012 Or Early 2013 and Expect It to Be Very Well Last Spring

North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management

Sketch by Jean Craighead George FALL 2011 The Towline VOL 3 NO 2 From the Director The bowhead whale census went late in 2012 or early 2013 and expect it to be very well last spring. We had an excellent very solid and defensible. The IWC Bow- census crew this year, and without their ef- head Quota is up for renewal next summer, forts we would not have been as successful. and we are ready! We especially owe our success to the knowl- The summer and fall were busy with edge and guidance provided to our staff by sampling of harvested beluga whales, seals, the whaling captains. walrus, tagging seals, banding snow geese, In total, we saw 3378 new whales collaring caribou, tagging and catching fish, which essentially ties the all-time record monitoring the polar bear hair snare fence, number of sightings for a single season. We polar bear patrols, conducting subsistence know this is a small proportion harvest surveys, monitoring of the total population. How- hauled out walrus and seals, and ever, when this visual data is sampling the bowhead harvest. combined with data from We would like to thank acoustic buoys, we will be able all of the hunters and elders for to estimate the total number of your support. Our work would whales that migrated by Barrow not be as successful without your in 2011. We should have a final help. population estimate sometime Quyanaq, Taqulik Hepa

Thanks to Mayor Itta and Welcome Mayor Brower We would like to thank page, many field studies, numerous Inside Mayor Edward S. Itta and his staff comments on technical and envi- this for their support over the past six ronmental documents, and the 10- issue: years. During his administration, we year Subsistence Harvest Report. Sick Seals were able to accomplish many We look forward to work- 2 and Walrus things. Some of these include a ing with our new mayor, Mayor successful Bowhead Census, K-12 Charlotte E. Brower, continuing to Kids Page 3 Educational Outreach programs, monitor subsistence species, and NPR-A 4 the formation of the NSB/Shell ensuring sustainable harvests of Wildlife 5 Baseline Studies Program Steering these resources for residents of the Interns Committee, the Department web- North Slope Borough. Outreach 6 THE TOWLINE Page 2 Ice Seals and Walrus— Sick Animals Haul Out on NSB Beaches NSB-DWM has been com- sick seals during this time, al- We do not yet know what is caus- municating with subsistence hunt- though sightings declined after ing these animals to be sick but ers regarding sickened seals and mid-August. Biologists with the investigations are ongoing. walrus. Informational flyers were NSB-DWM conducted coastal Similar cases have been sent out to NSB communities on surveys near Barrow throughout reported from the Bering Straits September 6th, September 16th, August and September. As of region, Chukotka and Canada. Due and an updated flyer was released October 31, NSB biologists had to the numbers of animals, the on October 17th. The department confirmed about 135 cases of number of species, and the geo- has advised hunters to use tradi- ringed seals beached by an uni- graphical extent involved, the NSB tional and customary safe handling dentified illness. Almost 45% of -DWM and collaborators have rec- practices. these seals were dead. Fifty-two ommended that this be designated dead walruses at the Point Lay an Unusual Mortality Event or haulout were examined by the UME. If NOAA does declare a NSB wildlife veterinarian, and UME, this would allow for federal many showed similar skin sores. funds to be used to help in the in- Hunters have reported skin vestigation of these sick animals. sores on two bearded seals. We do not yet know how wide- spread the disease is among the ice seals and walrus. The NSB-DWM is col- laborating with federal and state agencies to identify the cause of Natchiq with patchy hair loss the outbreak, including the Increasing numbers of Alaska Department of Fish & natchiq (ringed seals) and aiviq Game, the Alaska Stranding (walrus) were found hauled out on Network (which is part of a na- NSB beaches this summer. Some tional network of experts called Natchiq with sores surround- ing the eyes and nose of these animals seemed healthy the Marine Mammals Stranding and were probably just resting, but Network), the Alaska Veterinary Most recently, hunters have some appeared to be sick. Dis- Pathology Services, and the Na- reported harvesting healthy ringed eased seals were discovered along tional Marine Fisheries Service. seals. As the winter seal hunting the North Slope in late July and Samples from carcasses have season continues, if you harvest a continued until the formation of been shipped out for analysis. seal or walrus that is not looking land-fast ice in late October. healthy or is acting strange, please Symptoms included patchy contact the NSB-DWM, 852-0350 hair loss, skin sores primarily on (days) or 878-1793 or 878-1886 the hind flippers, and skin irrita- (eves/weekends). You can find out tion around the nose and eyes. more about this matter at the fol- Some live animals showed extreme lowing NOAA websites: tiredness with labored breathing alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/ and were easily approachable. and for the UME, Residents in Barrow, Point www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/ Lay and Wainwright all reported Flipper of a natchiq with sores mmume/. Page 3 VOL 3 NO 2

Draw a line from the Iñupiat name to the common name! Did you know that….

Aanaakłiq Arctic Char Amaqtuuq Arctic Cisco ....the scientific name for walrus Iłhuaġniq Arctic Cod (Odobenus rosmarus) probably means Iqaluaqpak Arctic Grayling “tooth-walking whale-horse.” Iqalugaq Broad Whitefish Iqalugruaq Burbot ....walrus seem to use their tusks for Iqalukpik Chum Salmon hauling out on ice and, in males, for Iqalusaaq Dolly Varden sparring with other males.

Paikłuk Lake Trout Least Cisco ....walrus spend 2/3 of their life in Qaaktaq Pink Salmon the water. Sulukpaugaq Rainbow Smelt Tittaaliq ….walrus have about 400-700 whisk- Saffron Cod Uugaq ers (or vibrissae) on their snouts, and they use these whiskers to find food.

....walrus can eat up to 6000 clams in a single feeding event.

....walrus blubber can be up to six Which animals eat which food? inches thick.

Draw an arrow from the food to the animal eating the food. How many ....walrus tusks have been used for arrows did you use? making fish hooks and other tools, jewelry, masks and other artwork. Algae Arctic Bearded Cod Can You Answer This Seal Question? Bowhead Whale Clams How many Bowhead Whales are allowed to be hunted Ringed Seal by the AEWC every year? Polar Bear

Email [email protected] with your Walrus Zooplankton answer! The first NSB student with the correct answer will be acknowledged on our website. THE TOWLINE Page 4 On the NPRA—Caribou and Fox Studies Caribou on the North Slope Fox in Prudhoe In late June and early July, Bay traveled an average the NSB-DWM worked with of 0.8 mi/day, while fox ADFG biologists collaring Teshek- within NPRA traveled puk caribou. This project began in an average of 4.3 mi/ 1990 and has since helped us to day. We also measured make informed decisions about the highest travel rate land use permitting in areas that ever recorded for an are important to this herd. The arctic fox which was satellite collars help us to keep more than 60 mi/day for three days. This is track of the herd so we can esti- Lincoln Parrett with captured caribou mate calving rates, survival and during DWM/ADFG collaring effort actually a minimum esti- allows researchers to conduct a termine if fox behavior differed mate as it only accounts photocensus so we can estimate between the two areas. for straight line distances. the population size. Of the 40 fox collared in We believe these two Currently, the Teshekpuk the oilfields, none of them trav- groups of animals behave differ- Herd is overwintering in two main eled more than 30 miles from the ently due to the availability of hu- areas on the North Slope. There Prudhoe Bay area. In contrast, of man food scraps in Prudhoe Bay, are several thousand animals be- the 35 fox collared near Teshek- which we have determined from tween Barrow and Wainwright, puk Lake, only one animal had a chemical diet analyses of muscle and there are large concentrations similar-sized home range. Many tissues. This work can provide of caribou in the foothills of the of the other animals traveled for information on the ways in which Brooks Range along the east and long periods on the sea ice, some diseases, such as rabies, can west sides of the Dalton Highway. traveling 650 miles to Banks Is- spread throughout the North It is interesting that there are cari- land in Canada, and several al- Slope. We are also sampling fox bou from the Western Arctic and most made it to Russia before carcasses to investigate the preva- Central Arctic herds wintering in returning to the Teshekpuk Lake lence of rabies and other diseases the same area. The Porcupine cari- area in late March. in North Slope arctic fox. bou herd is wintering south of the Brooks Range on the east side of the Dalton Highway. All four herds that calve on the North Slope are generally doing well.

Traveling Arctic Fox The DWM has been working in collaboration with graduate students and researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on a number of arctic fox studies. We have followed the winter move- ments of arctic fox that were collared in Prudhoe Bay and also in the Teshekpuk Lake region to de- Page 5 VOL 3 NO 2 Wildlife Interns at DWM The NSB-DWM has social impacts. Katie was able to hosted two college interns this earn Ilisagvik credits for her sum- year. Katie Roseberry worked with mer work on the fisheries project. us from June to September, and Nicole also participated in Nicole Kanayurak worked with us the subsistence harvest documen- from September until December. tation project and in our data col- Both interns were funded under lection efforts at the bowhead NPR-A grant programs designed whale harvest this fall. She was to give college students on-the-job also able to attend the Sitka experience and to provide them WhaleFest and earn UAS credits with experiences that will help for the WhaleFest seminars as them decide what to do when they well as taking a Molecular Tech- graduate. niques class. Katie is attending her sec- ond year at UAF and is deciding if biology will be her major, while Todd Sformo and Katie with Nicole is a junior majoring in En- fyke net catch of the day vironmental Studies at Dartmouth tributed to the Subsistence Fish- in New Hampshire. ing Survey, with many hours of riding four-wheelers along Elson lagoon monitoring the efforts of subsistence fishermen. In Septem- Nicole helping Robert with ber, they attended the Lowell sample collection (above) Wakefield Fisheries Symposium in and helping Craig with measur- Anchorage finding out more ing a bowhead (below) about Northern fisheries and their

Jason Herreman and Katie at Bear Safety Training Katie’s summer experience began with helping monitor the polar bear hair snare fence at the bonepile near the Point. This project required gun safety training in order to be prepared in the event Nicole with the fyke net (above) that polar bears were encountered and Measuring Fish (below) These internships provide at the fence! the students with a better under- Both interns were able to standing of our mission at DWM participate in our Elson Lagoon and the ability to “try out” a ca- Fish Study, using fyke nets to sam- reer before committing to it. ple the fish. This study provides Good luck to Katie and Nicole as information on what types of fish they finish their studies, and we and rough estimates of how many look forward to working with fish are found in the lagoon. them and other NSB college stu- Katie and Nicole also con- dent interns in the future! THE TOWLINE Page 6 Educational Outreach - Students and Scientists The NSB-DWM, with the guins! They also shared informa- about tracking humpback whales, help of funds from the NSB tion on the belugas and the be- listening to humpbacks and bow- Mayor’s Office, has supported sev- luga hunt in Point Lay with scien- heads, using new tools for study- eral programs that allow students to tists in Mystic and community ing marine mammals, and heard learn from research scientists in set- members at the Mashantucket discussions on the human con- tings other than their classroom. Pequot reservation. nection to the ocean. They also The students (Kuoiqsik learned about life in Sitka and Curtis, Hubert Long, Eugene some history of the Tlingit people Neakok, MaryAnn Neakok, and of Southeast Alaska. Florence Ningeok) will make a Both of these programs presentation to their community provide students with exciting and classmates and are invited to experiences in science in hopes work with the NSB-DWM biolo- for inspiring a career in science. gists and others next summer We would like to thank the during the beluga hunt. Mayor’s Office for supporting Eighth grade students these educational opportunities Kuoiqsik, Florence, Eugene, Bill from Hopson Middle School for NSB students. Tracey, Hubert and Maryann with beluga, Naku! (Stacey Davis, Justin Ferris, Kevin Goodwin, and Brandon Students from Point Lay Gueco) traveled with their traveled to Mystic, Connecticut, for teacher, Deb Greene, to partici- the third time to learn more about pate in the Scientists-in-Schools sisuaq (beluga whales) and to see program in Sitka. They also at- them up close at Mystic Aquarium. tended the Sitka WhaleFest, The students also learned about along with NSB-DWM staff and other animals, such as California sea DWM Wildlife Intern, Nicole Brandon, Justin, Kevin and lions, Steller’s sea lions, and pen- Kanayurak. Students learned Stacey in Sitka

Check out our NSB We thank the NSB Assembly and Mayor Brower Become an NSB-DWM DWM website! for their continued support. Quyanaqpak! Fan on Facebook!

Bulk Rate U.S. Postage North Slope Borough PAID Department of Wildlife Management Barrow, Alaska 99723 Permit No. 28 P.O. Box 69, Barrow, Alaska 99723 Phone: (907) 852-0350 Fax: (907) 852-0351 www.north-slope.org/departments/wildlife/ Director: Taqulik Hepa Deputy Director: Harry Brower, Jr.

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