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Abstracts
SEARCH Open Science Meeting
October 27, 2003
Seattle, Washington, USA
The Influence of Environmental Conditions On the Success of Hunting Bowhead Whales Off Barrow, Alaska
Craig R. Nicolson1, Craig George2, Steve Braund3, Harry Brower Jr.4
1Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA, 01003-4210, USA, Phone 413-545-3154, Fax 413-545-4358, craign@forwild.umass.edu
2Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, PO Box 69, Barrow, AK, 99723, USA, Phone 907-852-0350, Fax 907-852-9848, cgeorge@co.north-slope.ak.us
3Stephen Braund and Associates, PO Box 101480, Anchorage, AK, 99510-1480, USA, Phone 907-276-8222, Fax 907-276-6117, srba@alaska.net
4Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, PO Box 69, Barrow, AK, 99723, USA
Analysis of the bowhead whale hunt at Barrow (1990-1997) suggests that hunting success is greatly influenced by wind direction and speed. During the spring hunt along the Chukchi Sea coast, hunters tell us that open leads, moderate to strong offshore winds (easterly component), and stable landfast ice are required to hunt and land whales successfully. This is mainly because easterly winds open lead systems at Barrow by pushing the pack ice offshore. Said another way, it is the presence or absence of sea ice in the nearshore lead that affects spring bowhead hunting success, and wind direction is a reliable indicator of lead conditions and ice cover within the lead. Bowhead whales are generally harvested in spring when winds are offshore (easterly) and are almost never taken when winds are onshore (westerly component). During the fall bowhead hunt offshore of Point Barrow (Beaufort and Chukchi Seas), calm to moderate winds and relatively ice free waters are required to hunt whales effectively. Wind direction, however, does not appear to affect fall hunting success, whereas wind speed has a significant effect. Selected seasons (i.e., Spring 1992, 1993, and 1997 and Fall 1997) were examined in detail to illustrate extremes in environmental conditions and to explore hunters’ observations using quantitative Western scientific methods. This analysis does not formally include the various sociological aspects (e.g., numbers of active crews, cease-fire periods, festivals) of whale hunting which also affect success. Our findings suggest that the bowhead whale hunt at Barrow is highly affected by environmental conditions and that wind speed in the fall and wind direction and ice cover in the spring are the principal variables affecting whale-hunting success. Furthermore, our scientific findings all agree well with the hunters’ predictions. Such variability in hunting conditions supports flexible hunting regulations that allow for hunting failures (due to environmental factors) during some seasons.
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