1 Subsistence harvest of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) by Alaskan Eskimos during 2008

• Main Authors: Robert Suydam, John C. George, Cheryl Rosa, Brian Person, Cyd Hanns, Gay Sheffield, Josh Bacon
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: ARCTIC; BALAENA MYSTICETUS; BOWHEAD WHALE; STATISTICS; WHALING-ABORIGINAL; Arctic; Balaena mysticetus; bowhead whale; eskimo*; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.458.7421; http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/B/648772492/648772492-2008.pdf

In 2008, 50 bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were struck during the Alaskan subsistence hunt resulting in 38 animals landed. Total landed for 2008 was similar to the average over the past 10 years (1998-2007: mean = 40.4; SD = 7.1). The efficiency ( # landed / # struck) of the hunt was 76%, which is higher than the average during 1998-2007 (mean = 65%, SD = 8%). Spring hunts are more difficult than autumn ones because of challenging sea ice, weather conditions, and struck whales diving under the shore-fast or into the broken pack ice. The efficiency of the spring hunt was 60 % compared to an autumn efficiency of 92%. Of the landed whales 18 were males, 19 were females and sex was not determined for one animal. Of the 19 females of known length, 6 were presumably mature (>13.4m in length). Only one of the mature females was examined closely and she had an active follicle. Hunters reported that one mature female was pregnant with a fetus approximately ~3m in length. Most of the mature females were not closely examined as biologists were either not stationed in the villages or the whales were butchered in the water. One landed whale was a (male) calf, 7.2 m in length, which was swimming alone. Hunters thought this animal was an independent subadult.