population summering in the northern Bering and southern 
Chukchi Seas; a total of 2,321 walrus were estimated to have 
been taken at the five villages while Fish and Wildlife 
personnel were present; in addition to those animals killed 
and reported at the five villages, more than 500 carcasses 
were counted by the third week of July; analyses of the 
samples had begun and were expected to be completed in 
December 1980; and, if funds were available, similar monitoring 
efforts would be conducted during 1981 at the same villages 
and possibly additional villages adjacent to Bristol Bay 
with the specific intent to obtain estimates of the total 
harvest of walrus. 
Polar Bears 
On 3 March 1980 the Commission wrote to the Fish and 
Wildlife Service to express its concern about the potential 
adverse impact of unregulated taking of polar bears in 
Alaska. The Commission noted that recent reports suggested 
that the unregulated taking of polar bears may be resulting 
in the taking of increased numbers of females with young and 
that the Commission was uncertain as to whether or not the 
Service had been conducting a program to monitor the taking 
of polar bears by Alaskan natives. The Commission therefore 
requested that the Service provide as much information as 
possible on: (1) the number, age, sex, location of kill, 
etc., of polar bears taken in Alaska for the years following 
those for which information was presented during the 1976 
proceedings associated with return of management to the 
State of Alaska; (2) its best estimate of the impact of such 
taking on the polar bear population; (3) its evaluation as 
to whether or not the affected polar bear population should 
be designated as "depleted" under the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act and regulations promulgated so as to regulate taking; 
and (4) if the Service concluded that such designation would 
be appropriate, its schedule for proposing and implementing 
such designation and regulations. The Commission recommended 
that, if the Service did not have the information necessary 
to determine whether or not the polar bear populations were 
depleted, it establish procedures to monitor the harvest and 
to obtain such information. 
The Service responded to the Commission's request for 
information by letter of 29 April 1980 indicating that based 
upon the available information, it could not form an opinion 
as to whether or not the polar bear populations should be 
designated as depleted. The Service noted that: information 
on the number of polar bears killed since 1975 would be 
sought from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game; assessing 
the impact of such killing since 1975 was difficult since 
reliable information on total take, age, and sex composition 
of the kill does not exist; the Service was preparing regulations 
to initiate its own sealing/marking program; there was no 
consensus on the magnitude of the recent take, and 
= GA 
