Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable
In 2012, climate-warming related decreases in sea ice led to listings of ringed Pusa hispida and bearded seals Erignathus barbatus as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) prior to evidence of population declines. These and 2 other ice-associated species (spotted Phoca larg...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:03c215c8b5294c2d94196d1483ef5038 2023-05-15T16:06:25+02:00 Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable MA Nelson LT Quakenbush BD Taras Committee Ice Seal 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00973 https://doaj.org/article/03c215c8b5294c2d94196d1483ef5038 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v40/p1-16/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr00973 https://doaj.org/article/03c215c8b5294c2d94196d1483ef5038 Endangered Species Research, Vol 40, Pp 1-16 (2019) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00973 2022-12-31T07:58:26Z In 2012, climate-warming related decreases in sea ice led to listings of ringed Pusa hispida and bearded seals Erignathus barbatus as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) prior to evidence of population declines. These and 2 other ice-associated species (spotted Phoca largha and ribbon seals Histriophoca fasciata) are vital subsistence resources to coastal Alaska Native communities. ESA-related assessments concluded that subsistence removals (seals that were harvested as well as those that were struck and lost) were sustainable; however, limited data precluded a quantitative evaluation. Potential biological removal (PBR), defined as the maximum number of animals that can be removed from a stock while allowing the stock to reach or maintain its optimal sustainable size, is typically used to determine whether human-caused mortality is sustainable. Although developed to address commercial fisheries bycatch, PBR serves as a conservative measure of sustainability. We compiled annual subsistence removal of ice seals in Alaska between 1992 and 2014 for 41 of 55 ice seal hunting communities and used per capita (based on the 2015 human population) removal estimates from surveyed communities to estimate regional and statewide average removals. We used average per capita values of harvest, combined with struck and lost, for surveyed communities (average removals) to extrapolate to unsurveyed communities. To account for underreported harvest, we also extrapolated using maximum harvest values, providing a liberal estimate. Both the average and liberal estimates of removals were below PBR for all 4 species. Thus, the best available data indicate that subsistence hunting is currently sustainable for all 4 species of ice seals. Article in Journal/Newspaper Erignathus barbatus Pusa hispida Sea ice Alaska Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Endangered Species Research 40 1 16 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 MA Nelson LT Quakenbush BD Taras Committee Ice Seal Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
In 2012, climate-warming related decreases in sea ice led to listings of ringed Pusa hispida and bearded seals Erignathus barbatus as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) prior to evidence of population declines. These and 2 other ice-associated species (spotted Phoca largha and ribbon seals Histriophoca fasciata) are vital subsistence resources to coastal Alaska Native communities. ESA-related assessments concluded that subsistence removals (seals that were harvested as well as those that were struck and lost) were sustainable; however, limited data precluded a quantitative evaluation. Potential biological removal (PBR), defined as the maximum number of animals that can be removed from a stock while allowing the stock to reach or maintain its optimal sustainable size, is typically used to determine whether human-caused mortality is sustainable. Although developed to address commercial fisheries bycatch, PBR serves as a conservative measure of sustainability. We compiled annual subsistence removal of ice seals in Alaska between 1992 and 2014 for 41 of 55 ice seal hunting communities and used per capita (based on the 2015 human population) removal estimates from surveyed communities to estimate regional and statewide average removals. We used average per capita values of harvest, combined with struck and lost, for surveyed communities (average removals) to extrapolate to unsurveyed communities. To account for underreported harvest, we also extrapolated using maximum harvest values, providing a liberal estimate. Both the average and liberal estimates of removals were below PBR for all 4 species. Thus, the best available data indicate that subsistence hunting is currently sustainable for all 4 species of ice seals. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
MA Nelson LT Quakenbush BD Taras Committee Ice Seal |
author_facet |
MA Nelson LT Quakenbush BD Taras Committee Ice Seal |
author_sort |
MA Nelson |
title |
Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
title_short |
Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
title_full |
Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
title_fullStr |
Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
title_full_unstemmed |
Subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in Alaska is sustainable |
title_sort |
subsistence harvest of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals in alaska is sustainable |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00973 https://doaj.org/article/03c215c8b5294c2d94196d1483ef5038 |
genre |
Erignathus barbatus Pusa hispida Sea ice Alaska |
genre_facet |
Erignathus barbatus Pusa hispida Sea ice Alaska |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 40, Pp 1-16 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v40/p1-16/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr00973 https://doaj.org/article/03c215c8b5294c2d94196d1483ef5038 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00973 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
40 |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
16 |
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1766402312902803456 |