Aspects of the Polar Bear Harvest in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Abstract

We analyzed the age, sex, and chronology of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) harvest in the Northwest Territories (NWT) from 197980 to 1989-90. The mean annual harvest during that period was 517 with a current quota of 617. Sex and age information was obtained on approximately 90% of the total kill. The harvest was selective for males (63%). The mean age, sex ratio, and age composition varied according to area, type, and month of harvest. Inuit hunters accounted for 88.8% ofthe harvest, 5.7% was taken by non-native sport hunters, 5.2% of the harvest was killed in conflicts with humans, and 0.3% was killed through illegal or unknown factors. Sport hunting increased by a factor of 2 to 3 times over the sample period and the number of hunts comprised 10.6% of the allowable quota. Forty-seven percent of the harvest occurred in the spring. Accurate reporting of the sex composition of the harvest is required to determine sustainable harvest quotas. Management of polar bears in the NWT is based on inventory studies, harvest sex ratio, and population modelling. Int. Conf. Bear Res. Manage. 9(l):237-243 The polar bear is a species unique to the Arctic yet known throughout the world. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has a special obligation in the management of this unique resource, as a large proportion of the world's polar bears are within its jurisdiction, or shared with it (Stirling 1988). The polar bear is economically important and ranks highest of all furbearers in the NWT in average pelt price (NWT Department of Renewable Resources Fur Harvest Statistics). The polar bear fur harvest currently brings between 500,000 to 600,000 dollars per year into the Arctic communities. Outfitting and guiding nonInuit polar bear hunters average another 660,000 dollars (unpubl. data). In some communities the meat is also consumed. A conservative annual replacement cost for this meat would be about 150,000 dollars. Guiding tourists for viewing polar bears and other wildlife is a growing industry in the NWT. A conservative estimate of the tourism value of polar bears to the NWT is 200,000 dollars per year. The total monetary value of polar bears is close to 1.7 million dollars annually. Wildlife legislation in Canada did not address polar bear harvesting until 1935 when a hunting season from 1 October through 31 May was imposed. In 1949, hunting was restricted to native people (Urquhart and Schweinsburg 1984). Quotas for polar bears were introduced in 1967 and were based on the fur records from several preceding years. Currently polar bears are listed by the Committee for International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) in Appendix II and are classed as Vulnerable by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears was signed by all 5 arctic nations (Stirling 1988). Polar bear management in NWT is based on inventory studies, harvest sex ratio, and population modelling (Taylor et al. 1987). Accurate recording of the harvest is essential to the species' management. In particular, the sex composition of the harvest is a vital component in calculating the sustainable harvest. This paper summarizes the polar bear harvest over the last 30 years and focuses on specific aspects of the harvest from 1979-80 to 1989-90 in NWT. We would like to thank the polar bear hunters of the NWT for taking the extra effort to provide the samples and data we requested. Thanks to the many DRR staff who have laboriously filled out data sheets and packed up boxes of polar bear jaws. Special thanks to A. Sutherland whose meticulous record keeping, attention to detail, and tenaciousness in tracking down missing information has provided an exceptionally well organized data base. The people at the CWS polar bear project in Edmonton have provided much support, assistance, and cooperation over the years. Finally, thanks to S. Schliebe and 2 anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier manuscript.