SC/60/BRG10 Subsistence harvest of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) by Alaskan Eskimos during 2007

• 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; Point Hope; Balaena mysticetus; bowhead whale; eskimo*; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.458.9909; http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/B/648772492/648772492-2007.pdf

In 2007, 63 bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were struck during the Alaskan subsistence hunt resulting in 41 animals landed. Total harvest for 2007 was similar to recent years. The average number of whales landed in the 10 previous years was 41.1 (SD = 7.5). The efficiency (# landed / # struck) of the hunt was 65%, which is lower than the average during 1997-2006 (mean = 79%, SD = 7%). Challenging sea ice, weather conditions, equipment malfunctions, and struck whales diving under the short-fast ice contributed to a lower efficiency in 2007 compared to the previous 10 years. These conditions especially affected hunters at Point Hope and Barrow during spring. The spring hunting efficiency was 61 % compared to 76 % for the autumn. Of the landed whales 17 were males and 24 were females. Of the 23 females of known length, 12 were presumably mature (>13.4m in length). Four of the mature females were examined closely. Of these four, three were pregnant. Biologists could not closely examine the other mature females because the whales were harvested in more remote villages or were butchered in the water.