558 



assistance of a relatively few pilot-guides, many of whose only interest is mone- 

 tary gain, sometimes without regard for regulations. Hunting methods are 

 considered esthetically displeasing and unethical by a large portion of the public 

 both himting and non-hunting. Hunting consists of tracking bears on the sea ice 

 with two planes. When a bear is located, the plane with the hunter lands, and 

 the other plane drives the bear to the hunter. Guides skin the bear, meat is 

 left on the ice, and planes return to their hunting base with the skin and hunter. 

 Hunters may be partly satisfied in that they are successful in killing a bear and 

 having a skin to take home. Many are dissatisfied with the way planes are used 

 to track and drive bears and the "get-it-over- with'' aspects of the hunt. In many 

 cases the guide's main interest is getting a bear as soon as possible to keep flying 

 time to a minimum and to be able to take as many hunters out as possible. Often 

 a himter takes a bear the first day he is out and then obtains little or no service 

 from his guide for whatever length of time he may remain in the himting village. 

 Once hunters have contracted with an airplane guide, they have little or no con- 

 trol over the method of hunting. Flying over the ice is specialized enough that 

 the average private pilot does not want to do it, and state residents as well as 

 non-residents contract with guides. Thus, elimination of aircraft hunting would 

 not in reality deprive Alaska residents of aircraft hunting on their own without 

 the aid of gviides. 



Polar bears are an international resource. Most Alaska based aircraft hunting 

 is done on the high seas. Many of the bears taken west of Alaska are probably 

 bom in Russia, and some bears taken north of Alaska may be bom in Canada. 

 Such an international resource requires a broader view than one of maximum 

 sustained yield off the coasts of any one country. Russia is especially critical of 

 Alaska airplane hunting. Biologists there state that although Russia has not 

 allowed hunting since 195t>, the bear population is not increasing because Ameri- 

 can and Norwegian himters are taking bears on each side of the Russian arctic. 

 (Russians have not presented data in English to demonstrate that this is happen- 

 ing, however.) Management agencies in other countries are critical of airplane 

 hunting because it is over — commercialized, the method of hunting is esthetically 

 displeasing, and there is a potential for overharvest, especially since it is 

 difl3cult to control activities of airborne hunters on the high seas and in the 

 arctic. (Incidentally, the other highly criticized method of harvesting, use of 

 set-guns in Spitsbergen, was stopped by Norway effective September 1970.) The 

 general public, as well as management agencies, is concerned about polar bears. 

 People from many walks of life from many parts of the world consider polar 

 bears an international resource and express opposition to airplane himting because 

 of esthethic considerations and concern for the species' welfare. The State by 

 continuing to allow aircraft hunting could create an unfavorable image for it- 

 self, and national and international pressure could cause polar bear manage- 

 ment responsibility to go to the Federal government or through a treaty to an 

 international commission. It would be unfortimate if the State lost management 

 jurisdiction of bears along its coast and if additional discord were created 

 regarding State versus Federal jurisdiction of game species. 



Another aspect related to over-commercialization is the desire by some guides 

 to make as much money as possible from polar bear hunting without regard 

 for regulations. As hunting pressure has increased, regulations have become more 

 restrictive. The major control since 1967 on number of bears taken has been 

 a limit on the number of hunts two guides working together could participate in. 

 Some guides in exceeding this limit have deliberately changed partners in a 

 manner that made it nearly impossible to obtain evidence that would allow 

 convictions. This year for the first time a limited number of i^rmits have been is- 

 sued to hunters. Possibilities for getting around this method of han'est regula- 

 tion have been explored, ever since it was proposied. It appears that if airplane 

 hunting is continued, violations will increase in future years as regulations be- 

 come more restrictive because of increased hunting pressure. It is extremely 

 difficult to enforce regulations because bears are hunted on the high seas, and 

 hides can be hidden and kept frozen for long periods of time along the arctic 

 coast. There is also hunting of bears by aircraft to obtain hides for sale rather 

 than to provide hunters with liides. It is reported that large unsealed Alaska 

 hides can be disposed of for as much as $2000 in cash. Many bears taken illegally 

 for hunters and for sale are not presented to the Department for sealing and are 

 not counted in the harvest. The potential for overharvest because of the unknown 

 illegal kill is significant. It appears that the only way to stop these abuses will 

 be to stop airplane hunting. Much illegal activity occurs now because pilot-guides 

 have a legitimate reason to be in polar bear hunting areas. If aircraft hunting 



