168 



Mr. DiNOETJv. That is common in government today. I have known 

 about that for years. 



I am going to ask you to give us, if you please, the outlines of the 

 program that will give us some intelligent idea of what the wastage 

 of this species is. 



I want the outlines of an intelligent administrative program for 

 that, and I want you to tell us if you have not got the authority neces- 

 sary^ to do it, if you need legislative authority, or if you need an amend- 

 ment to II.R. 10420 to accomplish that. 



And I direct you at this point to submit a mandatory language to 

 derive the specific authority to manage the natives' taking of the 

 walrus, if need be, to hold this wastage down. 



I have no objection to letting them take it, and if they are going 

 out with snowmobiles and high-powered rifles, you had better do some 

 modern management to see that this wasting of the walrus is stopped. 



You submit appropriate suggestions to this committee for adminis- 

 trative action to reduce this waste, and also to specifically request any 

 amendatory language to H.R. 10420. 



(The information to be supplied follow^s :) 



Recommendation of Taking of Walruses and Polar Belars 



Walruses are principally harvested on the pack-ice on the high seas, outside 

 of territorial waters of the State of Alaska. 



If H.R. 690 is amended as recommended to give the Secretary of the Interior 

 authority to regulate the taking of walruses and polar bears on the high seas, 

 no additional legislation vrill be required. 



Mr. Potter. You said it might not be appropriate to have a mora- 

 torium for adequate management of walrus and sea otter. 



What evidence do you have to support that ? 



Dr. LiNDusKA. As Mr. Hansen pointed out, the walrus is satisfying 

 a genuine need among the native tribes. 



As far as the otters are concerned, the prospects of arriving at a 

 point of overpopulation during a period of moratorium, and with it 

 accompanying die off would not be the most desirable way of handling 

 things. 



Mr. Potter. Do you have any evidence to indicate the walrus are 

 anywhere close to the point that they would suffer problems of over- 

 population ? 



Dr. LiNDUSKA. The question there is not so much overpopulation as 

 it is the hardship it would offer natives during a time when we know 

 them to be of satisfactory numbers. 



Mr. Potter. What do you consider satisfactory ? 



Dr. LiNDUSKA. Well, just the observation that their populations are 

 being fairly well sustained. 



For an absolute nose count, I could not provide that. 



Mr. Potter. Is there, in fact, any scientific evidence to indicate how 

 many walrus there are ? 



Dr. LiNDUSKA. I am sure that there have been some studies made. 



Mr. Hansen, are you acquainted with that ? 



Mr. Hansen. Several years ago, there was an aerial survey made 

 over the icepack. 



The Avalrus were in the Bering Sea before the ice had retreated up 

 around the Arctic. 



As I recall a figure at that time, something between 150,000 and 

 120,000 walrus were sighted. 



