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