Chapter III — Species of Special Concern 



es. Action on the request was deferred pending 

 collection of additional information and in 1993 a task 

 force established by the Department met to examine 

 the request. The task force concluded that a con- 

 trolled harvest of up to 10 walruses in October likely 

 would not have a serious impact on the walrus popula- 

 tion or on use of the island as a major walrus haul-out 

 site. After further consideration, the Board adopted 

 new regulations on 20 March 1995 allowing the 

 Department to issue access permits to the islands by 

 qualified hunting parties. 



To represent their interests, Native walrus hunters 

 in seven nearby villages formed the Qayassik (Round 

 Island) Walrus Commission. The Department of Fish 

 and Game, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Eskimo 

 Walrus Commission, and Qayassik Walrus Commis- 

 sion then developed a cooperative management 

 agreement and recommended regulations to govern 

 subsistence harvesting on Round Island. Signed by 

 the four parties on 22 September 1995, the agreement 

 provides for a controlled harvest of up to 10 animals 

 during the month of October. 



The cooperative agreement calls for limiting the 

 harvest to experienced walrus hunting captains ap- 

 proved by the Qayassik Walrus Commission. In 

 addition, authorized hunters are to provide advance 

 notice of hunting trips to the Department to facilitate 

 monitoring of the harvest and its impact, all hunting 

 is to be done on land, and the Qayassik Walrus 

 Commission is to designate individuals to help collect 

 biological samples from harvested animals for re- 

 search purposes. As funding permits, the Department 

 and the Service are to participate in monitoring the 

 harvest to assess effects of the hunts on the walrus 

 herd and other island resources, and the Eskimo 

 Walrus Commission is to review and, as needed, 

 assist activities of the Qayassik Walrus Commission. 



Permits for the hunt were subsequently issued by 

 the Department and the Qayassik Walrus Commission, 

 and the hunt took place 3-14 October 1995. A 

 representative of the Department accompanied the 

 hunters and a Service biologist monitored the behavior 

 of the walruses from a remote vantage point. A total 

 of 10 male walruses were killed and butchered as part 

 of the hunt. In addition, one animal that was found 

 very badly injured from natural causes was shot for 



humane reasons under the authority of the Service 

 official monitoring the hunt's impact on walruses. 

 Because of its poor condition, meat was not taken 

 from it. Four other walruses appeared to have been 

 seriously wounded by bullets apparently passing 

 through adjacent target animals. All wounded animals 

 escaped into the water. 



The Service biologist monitored walrus haul-out 

 patterns before, during, and after hunting periods. 

 The observations found no evidence of abandonment 

 of the haul-out site except while hunters were on the 

 beach. In many cases, groups of walruses remained 

 a few meters off shore while hunters were on the 

 beach and they usually returned to shore by the 

 morning after a hunt. During the harvest, blood, 

 liver, kidney, lung, tooth, and other biological sam- 

 ples from the butchered animals were contributed by 

 the hunters for research purposes. 



In 1996 results of the 1995 hunt will be reviewed 

 by parties to the agreement to determine how best to 

 proceed with future subsistence harvests at Round 

 Island. The cooperation exhibited in preparing the 

 agreement and carrying out the hunt is widely viewed 

 as an important and positive step in the development 

 of a collaborative co-management approach between 

 responsible government agencies and the Native 

 community on walrus conservation issues. 



Walrus Research and Monitoring Studies 



To provide information necessary for management 

 purposes, the Service supports various projects 

 identified in the walrus conservation plan. The 

 National Biological Service provides support to 

 address fundamental biological questions on walrus 

 behavior, ecology, and population dynamics, while the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service's Marine Mammals Man- 

 agement Office supports monitoring studies to help 

 detect and assess potential human- related effects. 



In 1995 walrus studies by the National Biological 

 Service were directed to two principal areas: compi- 

 lation of a database of biological information on 

 Pacific walruses, and telemetry studies to determine 

 movement patterns. The former effort, being done in 

 cooperation with scientists in Russia, will combine 

 available information in both the United States and 



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