175 



Funding: $1,000.00, Division of Wildilfe Research; $5,500.00, Federal Aid in 

 Wildlife Restoration Funds, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 



Arizona Cooiwrative Wildlife Research Unit. — The Arizona Cooperative Wild- 

 life Research Unit is conducting a study on the behavior and ecology of the sea 

 otter at Amchitka, Alaska. A census of the otters is being conducted and detailed 

 behavioral patterns are being documented. An attempt is being made to identify 

 and determine the effects of various environmental factors and natural and im- 

 posed stresses on the behav-ior and physiology of the sea otter. An evaluation will 

 be made of various stimuli that might modify sea otter behavior to minimize 

 mortality at the time of the proposed underground nuclear test. 



Funding : $20,000.00, Atomic Energy Commission. 



The Polar Bear 

 research activity of the bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife 



Background.— ThQ great white bear of the Arctic, the polar bear, has long 

 been known to mankind. Polar bears, Eskimos, and igloos together commonly 

 are associated with the frozen reaches of the Far North. This bear has been 

 exploited, mainly for food and fur, by the aboriginal peoples with whom it 

 coexists geographically. This exploitation, however, appears never to have 

 threatened the continued existence of the species. 



In recent years, notably since World War II, the polar bear has come to be 

 much sought as a trophy by non-native hunters. The utility of small aircraft 

 for hunting this bear far out on the Arctic ice floes, as well as increased 

 affluence, has done much to stimulate this interest. The native peoples, concur- 

 rently, have found a profitable market for skins for trophy puriwses. Increased 

 exploitation has resulted, which in turn has aroused a concern for the welfare 



of the species. 



It quicklv became necessary to consider the application of conservation prac- 

 tices directed to assuring the future of the species. Information basic to the 

 achievement of this objective, however, was not available. For example, the 

 size and structure of the population were unknown. So were the extent of the 

 animals' travels, their use of food materials, and the duration of their repro- 

 ductive life. These shortcomings in basic infomation emphasized the need for an 

 increased effort in pertinent research. 



Research activity 



Objectives. — 



1. Ascertainment of the number of polar bears using American waters ; 



2. Age and sex composition of this population ; 



3. Extent and pattern of travels ; 



4. Population productivity ; 



5. Extent of denning by pregnant sows on the American Arctic ice pack 

 and along the Alaskan coast ; 



6. Develop aerial methods for enumerating the population. 

 Methods.~ln general, standardized methods are used in pursuing the research 



objectives. These include the immobilization of the bears with an appropriate 

 drug so that thev may be handled for marking, weighing, and extraction of one 

 of the vestigial premolar teeth. The marking, of course, individualizes an animal, 

 and the tooth is used to ascertain age. . 



Infra-red scanning equipment was tested for utility for aerial censusing. This 

 is a new development, which seems to offer some promise, but which also is 

 expensive. 



Progress 



Early icorA-.— In recognition of the need for reliable information upon which 

 to base a management program, personnel of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 

 Wildlife published in 1959 (Trans. 24th North American Wildlife Conference) a 

 preliminarv stiidv concerning the status and management of the polar bear. This 

 study showed the known bag of this species for Alaska, whose territorial waters 

 encompass the American segment of the circumpolar range of the species, to be 

 206 bears in 1957 and 128 for 1958. It also stressed the need for legislation 

 providing for the control of American nationals (polar bear hunters) on the 



Later in 1965, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife convened the 

 first international meeting devoted to polar bear conservation. Represented 

 at this meeting, held at Fairbanks, Alaska, was a delegation from each of the 



