Physical and sociocultural factors affecting walrus subsistence at three villages in the northern Bering Sea: 1952–2004

Abstract

Changes in sea-ice conditions have direct bearing on ice-associated species such as Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), an important species for coastal Alaska Native subsistence. We explore the dynamic relationships among sea ice, walrus, and subsistence hunting between 1952 and 2004 at three northern Bering Sea villages – Diomede, Gambell, and Savoonga. We integrate changes in timing, size, and gender distribution of walrus catches under four environmental regimes that alter the extent, duration, and persistence of sea ice. Our results suggest that the physical ice conditions proximal to the three villages affect timing and migration of walrus herds and thus hunting, but village-specific factors, such as the number and demographics of hunters, impart strong inter-community variability in the magnitude of catches. Decadal-scale climatic regimes are correlated with consistent patterns of timing and magnitude for the walrus hunts at Gambell and Savoonga, and at Diomede until 1989. However, a marked reduction in walrus catches at Diomede since 1989 is attributable to several social changes that compound more difficult hunting conditions. Our study highlights the important linkages between geographic location and the sociocultural capacity to hunt (e.g. number of hunters and local rules) when considering the resilience or vulnerability of village subsistence activities in a changing climate.