171 



Sport hunters are limited to one polar bear per permit and the number of 

 permits issued is limited to 300. Cubs, and sows with cubs cannot be taken. 

 The open season extends from February 1 to April 30. 



The Arctic-wide harvest for 1969 totaled 1,179 animals, of which in addition 

 to the 298 shown in Table I for Alaska, 407 were taken in Canada, 128 in Green- 

 land (Denmark), and 346 in Norway. The Soviet Union, which has no open 

 season, but a few are taken from time to time for zoos and for scientific study. 



More younger bears are said to be taken presently than formerly. This view 

 is based upon skull measurements and upon layering in the cementum of a 

 premolar tooth. Table 2 (below) presents a summary of the data concerning 

 skull size; and Table 3 (below) does the same for the estimation of average 

 age based upon layering of the tooth cementum. 



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1 1 



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Figure 1.— mstribution of polar bear core areas (important denning and cub- 

 bing places) • (1) Northwestern Greenland. (2) Northeastern Greenland, 

 (3) Eastern Svalbard. (4) Franz Josef Land, (5) Novaya Zemlya, (6) Sever- 

 nava Zemlva. (7) Taimyr Peninsula, (8) New Siberian Islands. (9) Bear 

 Islands, (lb) Wrangel Island, (11) Chukchi Peninsula, (12) Southern Banks 

 Island (13) Simpson Peninsula. (14) Eastern Southhampton Island, (lo) 

 Eastern Baffin Island, (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are of secondary importance.) 

 Dots indicate weather stations. 



