Eider exploitation by hunters and trappers on Svalbard during the 19th and early 20th centuries

Abstract

AbstractNatural resources of Svalbard, notably seal, walrus, whale, reindeer, polar bear and Arctic fox, were exploited through the 19th and early 20th centuries by both overwintering and seasonal hunters and trappers. Hunters also collected eggs and down of eider ducks to supplement their catches. Amounts of uncleaned down officially registered as imported to Norway ranged from 300–2600 kg annually (mean 1300 kg). The accuracy of these figures is discussed. Eider down accounted for 7–10% of the annual income of the trappers who wintered on the islands. Competition between trappers spending the winter and the crews of the sealers and whalers often resulted in an unorganized free-for-all collection of down and eggs, causing a steady decline of the eider population. The population was protected by legislation in 1963 and the designation of several bird sanctuaries in 1973, in which it was hoped that eider numbers would recover. It is not clear whether these measures have been successful: historical records have too many lacunae for a reliable calculation of the original size of the eider population which the trappers and sealers exploited.