IUCN Species Survival Commission

Contents Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Polar bear research and management in Russia 1997–2000 S.E. Belikov, A.N. Boltunov, N.G. Ovsianikov, G.I. Belchanskiy . . . . . . . 85 Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 List of participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Polar bear management in Alaska 1997–2000 S.L. Schliebe, J.W. Bridges, T.J. Evans, S.B. Kalxdorff, A.S. Fischbach, L.J. Lierheimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 th Minutes of the 13 Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group . . . . 9 Status of the polar bear IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group . . . . . . . 21 Polar bear research in the Beaufort Sea S.C. Amstrup, G.M. Durner, A.S. Fischbach, K. Simac, G. Weston-York . . . . . . . . . . . 109 th Resolutions, 13 Meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group . . . . . . . . . . 37 Den site selection by polar bears on Wrangel Island S. Howlin, M. Stishov, L.L. McDonald, S.L. Schliebe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Press release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Polar bear management in Canada 1997–2000 N.J. Lunn, S. Atkinson, M. Branigan, W. Calvert, D. Clark, B. Doidge, C. Elliott, J. Nagy, M. Obbard, R. Otto, I. Stirling, M. Taylor, D. Vandal, M. Wheatley . . . . . . . 41 Polar bear co-management in Alaska: cooperative management between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the native hunters of Alaska for the conservation of polar bears C. Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Research on polar bears in Canada 1997–2000 W. Calvert, M. Branigan, M. Cattet, W. Doidge, C. Elliott, N.J. Lunn, F. Messier, M. Obbard, R. Otto, M. Ramsay, I. Stirling, M. Taylor, D. Vandal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Appendix 1 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitat. . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Appendix 2 Annex E, Resolution on Special Protection Measures, and a recent related resolution from the PBSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 A note on the management of polar bears in Greenland A. Jessen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Appendix 3 Recent publications and reports 1997–2001 . 149 Research on polar bears in Greenland 1997–2001 E.W. Born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Appendix 4 Numbers allocated to each country for eartags and tattoos used in polar bear research and management . . . . . . . . . . 155 Polar bear research and management in Norway 1997–2000 A.E. Derocher, Ø. Wiig, M. Andersen, D. Vongraven, M. Ekker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 v

Gerald W. Garner (1944–1998) studies that defied meaningful field investigations owing to the vastness of the area and multiple, jurisdictional issues. His leadership and tenacity resulted in the substantial expansion of our scientific knowledge of polar bears in the Chukchi/Bering seas and, later, into other areas of the Russian high Arctic, Severnaya Zemlya Islands, the Laptev and Kara seas, the Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos, and the Barents Sea. He was instrumental in testing and developing aerial survey procedures for polar bears, in pioneering satellite telemetry of adult male polar bears, in developing aerial den survey procedures for Wrangel Island, as well as investigations of genetics, stock separation and potential viral sources of disease. Gerald Garner earned a B.S. in Zoology/Wildlife Management from Oklahoma State University (1967) and an M.S. in Game Management from Louisiana State University (1969). Upon graduation, he worked as a wildlife biologist for Pennzoil Corporation, a game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and as a wildlife consultant. He returned to academia in 1973, earning a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from Oklahoma State University in 1976. Following two years as an Assistant Professor at Sul Ross State University, Texas, he joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C. in 1978. He transferred to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Fairbanks, Alaska, as a Supervisory Wildlife Biologist, in 1980. His work developing baseline biological data on the wildlife resources of the refuge earned him the Secretary of Interior’s Commendation Award. In 1986, he accepted the position of Polar Bear Project Leader (Western Alaska) for the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Research Center. Dr Gerald W. Garner, a member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, passed away on February 15, 1998. He leaves a legacy of outstanding accomplishment, typified by a career dedicated to ecological research. His studies have enhanced the conservation community’s understanding of species and supported enlightened management actions to the betterment of wildlife resources. His contributions and publications extend beyond the subject of polar bears and include white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, caribou, wolf, brown bear, musk oxen and Pacific walrus. Gerald will be remembered for his commitment to seeking knowledge of the ecology of polar bears and other wildlife; for his staunch support of scientific inquiry; for his work ethic, devotion and dedication to research and conservation; and for an unwavering commitment to achieving these goals. His list of publications serves as a legacy to these accomplishments yet, by themselves, do not do justice to his contribution to science. His accomplishments will continue to serve as an example for peers, and for those who follow in his footsteps. In 1986, Dr. Garner began research on polar bears in the Chukchi and Bering seas for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Research Center; now the U.S. Geological Survey/Alaska Biological Science Center. As the Polar Bear Project Leader, he was responsible for conducting population vi

Malcolm A. Ramsay (1949–2000) fasting, lactation, energetics, body composition, evolution and ecology. Malcolm also contributed research on ungulates, carnivores, other marine mammals, avian ecology, sharks, coral reefs, natural history, evolution, life history strategies and undoubtedly more. Malcolm’s curiosity was matched only by his energy and enthusiasm for new ideas. He had 50 publications, an active graduate and personal research program, and was a popular teacher at his University. Malcolm’s work was some of the most innovative and exciting research ever conducted on polar bears. Malcolm’s colleagues and friends spanned scientific disciplines and were literally distributed across the world. He was a wealth of information on new techniques, new technologies, and was completely generous with his contacts, ideas, and suggestions. He did not seem to care about the usual politics or propriety issues associated with high profile research projects. He was as generous with his equipment and time as he was with his ideas and support. We all benefitted from Malcolm’s work and, because of Malcolm’s openness, his ideas and initiatives were not lost with him. Others are already taking much of his research forward, which is certainly what Malcolm would have wanted. Although new faces and new ideas are already emerging, all will miss Malcolm’s insight and critical mind. He has left us a shared memory that is all the more precious because it is ephemeral. Those of us present today will remember Malcolm as a friend even more than we will miss him as a colleague. This dedication acknowledges Malcolm as a valued colleague and honors him for his professional achievements. But for many (perhaps all) of us, it is much more. Most of us have shared the time of our lives, bad weather, small cabins, accepted the same risks and enjoyed the same wonders as Malcolm. We will miss his laughter, irreverent sense of humor, cheerfulness, generosity, energy, council, open spirit, goodness and friendship. The memory of Malcolm is something we share as a group and will carry forever. He was his own man, a good friend, and we mark his passing with respect and sorrow. Dr Malcolm Alexander Ramsay, a member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, was killed in a helicopter accident in the Canadian High Arctic on May 21, 2000 while returning to the field research station at Resolute, Nunavut at the end of a day of studying polar bears and seals. Malcolm was a long-standing member of the Polar Bear Specialist Group. His PhD was with Dr Ian Stirling on the reproductive physiology and ecology of polar bears, and was completed in 1986. Malcolm was a full professor at the University of Saskatchewan and supervised a number of graduate studies. He and his students have contributed greatly to the body of knowledge on polar bear anaesthesiology, contaminants, hibernation, vii

Foreword Following the First International Scientific Meeting on the Polar Bear, which was held in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1965, the Polar Bear Specialist Group was formed to co-ordinate research and management of polar bears. Eight years following the First Scientific Meeting, the international Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and Their Habitat was signed by the Governments of Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States. Article VII of the Agreement states that “The Contracting Parties shall conduct national research programmes on polar bears, particularly research relating to the conservation and management of the species. They shall as appropriate co-ordinate such research with research carried out by other Parties, consult with other Parties on the management of migrating polar bear populations, and exchange information on research and management programmes, research results and data on bears taken.” need for more proactive management, not only to address limitations in our knowledge of polar bear population dynamics, but also because new information indicates that the greatest future challenges to the conservation of polar bears may be ecological change in the Arctic as a result of climate change and pollution. The complexity and global nature of the issues will require a great degree of international co-operation and development of diverse and new approaches to address these issues. th These 13 proceedings provide an overview of the ongoing research and management activities on polar bears in the circumpolar arctic. Together with the previous twelve proceedings, they provide an historic record of the international effort in protecting polar bears from over-harvest and document more recent concerns of threats arising as a consequence of increased human activities in both the Arctic and in regions far beyond the realm of polar bears. As part of their commitment to fulfil the intent of the Agreement, representatives of all five signatory nations, together with invited specialists, attended the 13th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group that was held 23–28 June 2001 in Nuuk, Greenland and hosted by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The Specialist Group reviewed overall progress in research and management of polar bears since the previous meeting (Oslo, 1997) and identified priorities for future studies. They recognized the Funding for the publication of these proceedings was provided by the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Nunavut Department of Sustainable Development, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. N.J. Lunn, S. Schliebe and E.W. Born Editors 1

List of participants PBSG Members Nick Lunn Canadian Wildlife Service 5320-122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 Canada Tel: 1 780 435 7208 Fax: 1 780 435 7359 E-mail: nick.lunn@ec.gc.ca Steven C. Amstrup Biological Resources Division US Geological Survey 1011 E. Tudor Road Anchorage, Alaska 99503 USA Tel: 1 907 786 3424 Fax: 1 907 786 3636 E-mail: steven amstrup@usgs.gov Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid Greenland Institute of Natural Resources P.O. Box 570 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland E-mail: aqqalu@natur.gl Stephen Atkinson Department of Sustainable Development Government of Nunavut P.O. Box 1000, Station 1170 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 Canada Tel: 1 867 975 5902 Fax: 1 867 975 5980 E-mail: satkinson@gov.nu.ca Scott L. Schliebe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1011 E. Tudor Road Anchorage, Alaska 99503 USA Tel: 1 907 786 3812 Fax: 1 907 786 3816 E-mail: scott schliebe@fws.gov Stanislav E. Belikov All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection Znamenskoye-Sadki Moscow 113628 Russian Federation Tel: 7 095 423 8444 Fax: 7 095 423 2322 E-mail: arctos@online.ru Ian Stirling Canadian Wildlife Service 5320-122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 Canada Tel: 1 780 435 7349 Fax: 1 780 435 7359 E-mail: ian.stirling@ec.gc.ca Andrei N. Boltunov All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection Znamenskoye-Sadki Moscow 113628 Russian Federation Tel: 7 095 423 8444 Fax: 7 095 423 2322 E-mail: arctos@online.ru Mitchell Taylor Department of Sustainable Development Government of Nunavut P.O. Box 1000, Station 1170 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 Canada Tel: 1 867 975 5970 Fax: 1 867 975 5980 E-mail: mtaylor1@gov.nu.ca Erik W. Born Greenland Institute of Natural Resources P.O. Box 570 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland Tel: 299 32 10 95 Fax: 45 46 30 19 48 E-mail: ewb@dmu.dk Øystein Wiig Zoological Museum University of Oslo P.O. Box 1172 0318 Oslo Norway Tel: 47 22 85 16 88 Fax: 47 22 85 18 37 E-mail: oystein.wiig@nkm.uio.no Andrew E. Derocher Norwegian Polar Institute N-9296 Tromsø Norway Tel: 47 77 75 05 24 Fax: 47 77 75 05 01 E-mail: andrew.derocher@npolar.no 3

Invited Specialists Alfred Jakobsen Minister of Health Care and Environment Greenland Home Rule P.O. Box 1165 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland Tel: 299 34 50 00 E-mail: alj@gh.gl Charles D.N. Brower Department of Wildlife Management North Slope Borough P.O. Box 69 Barrow, Alaska 99723 USA Tel: 1 907 852 0350 Fax: 1 907 852 0351 E-mail: cbrower@north-slope.ak.us Amalie Jessen Greenland Home Rule Department of Industry P.O. Box 269 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland Tel: 299 34 53 42 Fax: 299 32 47 04 E-mail: amalie@gh.gl Larry Carpenter Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) P.O. Box 2120 Inuvik, Northwest Territories X0E 0T0 Canada Tel: 1 867 777 2828 Fax: 1 867 777 2610 E-mail: dogsled@nt.sympatico.ca Charles Johnson Alaska Nanuuq Commission P.O. Box 946 Nome, Alaska 99762 USA Tel: 1 907 433 5044 Fax: 1 907 443 5060 E-mail: cjohnson@nook.net Panigpak Daorana Greenland Home Rule Department of Industry, Hunting Divison DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland Tel: 299 34 5000 Fax: 299 32 47 04 E-mail: pda@gh.gl Michael Kingsley Greenland Institute of Natural Resources P.O. Box 570 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland E-mail: mcsk@natur.gl Bert Dean Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated P.O. Box 280 Rankin Inlet, Nunavut X0C 0G0 Canada Tel: 1 867 645 5425 Fax: 1 867 645 3451 E-mail: dean@arctic.ca Nuka Møller Inuit Circumpolar Conference P.O. Box 204 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland Tel: 299 32 36 32 Fax: 299 32 30 01 E-mail: nuka@inuit.org Anders Eckmann Greenland Home Rule Department of Industry, Hunting Division DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland E-mail: aec@gh.gl Martyn Obbard Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources P.O. Box 7000 300 Water Street, 3rd Floor North Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5 Canada Tel: 1 705 755 1549 Fax: 1 705 755 1559 E-mail: martyn.obbard@mnr.gov.on.ca Morten Ekker Directorate for Nature Management N-7485 Trondheim Norway Tel: 47 73 58 07 30 Fax: 47 73 58 05 01 E-mail: morten.ekker@dirnat.no 4

Frank Pokiak Inuvialuit Game Council P.O. Box 2120 Inuvik, Northwest Territories X0E 0T0 Canada Tel: 1 867 777 2828 Fax: 1 867 777 2610 Dag Vongraven Norwegian Polar Institute N-9296 Tromsø Norway Tel: 47 77 75 06 38 Fax: 47 77 75 05 01 E-mail: vongraven@npolar.no Øystein Slettemark Department of Environment and Nature Greenland Home Rule P.O. Box 1614 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland E-mail: oystein@gh.gl Lars Witting Greenland Institute of Natural Resources P.O. Box 570 DK-3900 Nuuk Greenland E-mail: larsw@natur.gl Mikhail Stishov Russian Ministry of Nature Resources Department of Nature Protection and Ecological Safety Izmailovsky bulvar 38, Apt. #8 Moscow 195077 Russian Federation E-mail: stishov@wrangel.ru 5

Agenda Thirteenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC PBSG Nuuk 23–28 June 2001 Saturday 23 June 2001 3.2 Greenland/Denmark 10.00 Opening and administrative issues 3.3 Norway Introductory remarks/comments from the hosts 3.4 Russia 3.5 USA 1 1.1 1.2 Opening of the meeting (Alfred Jakobsen, Minister of Health and Environment) 1.3 Introduction of participants 1.4 Election of the meeting chairman 1.5 Selection of meeting secretary for recording notes from the meeting Contaminant studies on polar bears (Andy Derocher) 1.6 Review of draft agenda, adoption of final agenda 1.7 Production, format and dedication of published proceedings from the meeting Co-management of polar bears in Canada, Alaska, Russia: perspectives from native and governmental co-managers (Charlie Johnson, Larry Carpenter, Bert Dean) 1.8 Election of ad hoc “editors” for compilation of proceedings 1.9 Election of group to draft press release 1.10 2 2.1 12.00 Lunch 13.00 PBSG members meeting 15.00 Public seminars in Katuaq: Climate change and polar bears (Ian Stirling) 17.30 Midsummer arrangement at “Biologstationen” Monday 25 June 2001 09.00 Presentation of draft resolutions Summary of research and status of populations by nation. Future research priorities Canada 12.00 Lunch 13.00 2.2 4 Norway 2.4 Russia 2.5 USA 4.1 Canada-USA 4.2 Russia-USA 4.3 Norway-Russia 4.4 Greenland-Canada 12.00 Lunch Greenland/Denmark 2.3 New bi-/multilateral agreements related to polar bears 13.00 5 Environmental issues 5.1 Effects on polar bears of toxic chemicals 5.2 Report on immune system effects 5.3 Report on Alaska work Sunday 24 June 2001 5.4 Other studies 09.00 5.5 Research priorities 3 3.1 Summary of management by nation Canada 7

6 Issues pertaining to the Agreement 13.00 7.8 6.1 Habitat conservation 6.2 Other issues Thursday 28 June 2001 09.00 Tuesday 26 June 2001 09.00 7 Workshop of population assessment and standardization of methodologies 7.1 Overview of essentials for status determination (Mitch Taylor) 7.2 Summary of population delineation methods (Mitch Taylor, Steve Amstrup) 8 Summ

Polar Bears Proceedings of the 13th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 23-28 June 2001, Nuuk, Greenland . Proceedings of the Twelfth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 3-7 February 1997, Oslo, Norway. Compiled and edited by Andrew E. Derocher, Gerald W. Garner, Nicholas J. Lunn and .