Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska
Despite considerable research on the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Alaskan waters, relatively little has been conducted in the northern Bering Sea. To help fill this gap, we documented traditional knowledge of bowhead whales held by Yupik whalers of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Results inclu...
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/63326 2023-05-15T14:19:04+02:00 Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska Noongwook, George Savoonga, The Native Village of Gambell, The Native Village of Huntington, Henry P. George, John C. 2009-12-11 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326/47263 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326 ARCTIC; Vol. 60 No. 1 (2007): March: 1–113; 47-54 1923-1245 0004-0843 bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus St. Lawrence Island Bering Sea traditional knowledge Yupik Alaska baleine boréale île Saint-Laurent mer de Béring connaissances traditionnelles info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 2009 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:20:42Z Despite considerable research on the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Alaskan waters, relatively little has been conducted in the northern Bering Sea. To help fill this gap, we documented traditional knowledge of bowhead whales held by Yupik whalers of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Results include descriptions of the seasonal movements, distribution, and abundance of bowheads near St. Lawrence Island. The bowhead population appears to be increasing, as is the number of young whales seen. Changing environmental conditions are influencing distribution, leading to a somewhat earlier spring migration and a greater presence of whales near the island in winter. Hunters describe two bowhead migration paths near the island. It is unknown whether these two paths are used by two genetically different groups of whales, or whether the animals are simply responding differently to oceanographic conditions or geography. Our findings are consistent with studies of this bowhead population conducted elsewhere and suggest that additional research is needed to determine possible migratory (or genetic) differences between the two migrations of whales seen at St. Lawrence Island. Bien que de nombreuses recherches aient été effectuées sur la baleine boréale (Balaena mysticetus) dans les eaux alaskiennes, peu de recherches ont été réalisées dans le nord de la mer de Béring. Afin de combler ce vide, nous avons pris note des connaissances traditionnelles des chasseurs de baleines yupik en matière de baleines boréales sur l’île Saint-Laurent, en Alaska. Les données obtenues prennent la forme de la description des mouvements saisonniers, de la répartition et de l’abondance des baleines boréales près de l’île Saint-Laurent. La population de baleines boréales semble augmenter, comme c’est aussi le cas du nombre de jeunes baleines. L’évolution des conditions environnementales a des effets sur la répartition des baleines et engendre une migration un peu plus hâtive au printemps de même qu’une plus grande présence de baleines près de l’île l’hiver. Les chasseurs décrivent deux chemins de migration pour les baleines boréales. Nous ne savons pas si ces deux chemins sont empruntés par deux groupes de baleines différents du point de vue génétique ou si les baleines réagissent simplement différemment aux conditions océanographiques ou géographiques. Nos constatations sont conformes aux études de cette population de baleines boréales réalisées ailleurs et laissent croire que des recherches plus poussées s’avèrent nécessaires pour déterminer les différences migratoires (ou génétiques) entre les deux migrations de baleines en évidence à l’île Saint-Laurent. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale Bering Sea bowhead whale Île Saint-Laurent Mer de Béring St Lawrence Island Yupik Alaska University of Calgary Journal Hosting Baleine ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) Bering Sea la Baleine ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) Lawrence Island ENVELOPE(-103.718,-103.718,56.967,56.967) ARCTIC 60 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcalgaryojs |
language |
English |
topic |
bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus St. Lawrence Island Bering Sea traditional knowledge Yupik Alaska baleine boréale île Saint-Laurent mer de Béring connaissances traditionnelles |
spellingShingle |
bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus St. Lawrence Island Bering Sea traditional knowledge Yupik Alaska baleine boréale île Saint-Laurent mer de Béring connaissances traditionnelles Noongwook, George Savoonga, The Native Village of Gambell, The Native Village of Huntington, Henry P. George, John C. Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
topic_facet |
bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus St. Lawrence Island Bering Sea traditional knowledge Yupik Alaska baleine boréale île Saint-Laurent mer de Béring connaissances traditionnelles |
description |
Despite considerable research on the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Alaskan waters, relatively little has been conducted in the northern Bering Sea. To help fill this gap, we documented traditional knowledge of bowhead whales held by Yupik whalers of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Results include descriptions of the seasonal movements, distribution, and abundance of bowheads near St. Lawrence Island. The bowhead population appears to be increasing, as is the number of young whales seen. Changing environmental conditions are influencing distribution, leading to a somewhat earlier spring migration and a greater presence of whales near the island in winter. Hunters describe two bowhead migration paths near the island. It is unknown whether these two paths are used by two genetically different groups of whales, or whether the animals are simply responding differently to oceanographic conditions or geography. Our findings are consistent with studies of this bowhead population conducted elsewhere and suggest that additional research is needed to determine possible migratory (or genetic) differences between the two migrations of whales seen at St. Lawrence Island. Bien que de nombreuses recherches aient été effectuées sur la baleine boréale (Balaena mysticetus) dans les eaux alaskiennes, peu de recherches ont été réalisées dans le nord de la mer de Béring. Afin de combler ce vide, nous avons pris note des connaissances traditionnelles des chasseurs de baleines yupik en matière de baleines boréales sur l’île Saint-Laurent, en Alaska. Les données obtenues prennent la forme de la description des mouvements saisonniers, de la répartition et de l’abondance des baleines boréales près de l’île Saint-Laurent. La population de baleines boréales semble augmenter, comme c’est aussi le cas du nombre de jeunes baleines. L’évolution des conditions environnementales a des effets sur la répartition des baleines et engendre une migration un peu plus hâtive au printemps de même qu’une plus grande présence de baleines près de l’île l’hiver. Les chasseurs décrivent deux chemins de migration pour les baleines boréales. Nous ne savons pas si ces deux chemins sont empruntés par deux groupes de baleines différents du point de vue génétique ou si les baleines réagissent simplement différemment aux conditions océanographiques ou géographiques. Nos constatations sont conformes aux études de cette population de baleines boréales réalisées ailleurs et laissent croire que des recherches plus poussées s’avèrent nécessaires pour déterminer les différences migratoires (ou génétiques) entre les deux migrations de baleines en évidence à l’île Saint-Laurent. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Noongwook, George Savoonga, The Native Village of Gambell, The Native Village of Huntington, Henry P. George, John C. |
author_facet |
Noongwook, George Savoonga, The Native Village of Gambell, The Native Village of Huntington, Henry P. George, John C. |
author_sort |
Noongwook, George |
title |
Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
title_short |
Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
title_full |
Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Traditional Knowledge of the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska |
title_sort |
traditional knowledge of the bowhead whale (balaena mysticetus) around st. lawrence island, alaska |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) ENVELOPE(-103.718,-103.718,56.967,56.967) |
geographic |
Baleine Bering Sea la Baleine Lawrence Island |
geographic_facet |
Baleine Bering Sea la Baleine Lawrence Island |
genre |
Arctic Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale Bering Sea bowhead whale Île Saint-Laurent Mer de Béring St Lawrence Island Yupik Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale Bering Sea bowhead whale Île Saint-Laurent Mer de Béring St Lawrence Island Yupik Alaska |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 60 No. 1 (2007): March: 1–113; 47-54 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326/47263 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63326 |
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ARCTIC |
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60 |
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