ECOLOGY AND BIOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC WALRUS 



221 



beach-cast carcasses for much of their larder; this is a common practice even 

 now. Conversely, when European man arrived on the scene in the 18th century, 

 he brought with him both the means (large ships, metal weapons, firearms, 

 optical aids) and the incentive (profit) to take quantities far in excess of the 

 requirements for mere survival. The over-exploitation that resulted from 

 introduction of these technological and social innovations was such that walruses 

 were extirpated from some areas in the Bering Sea by the end of the 18th century 

 and severely depleted overall before the last two decades of the 19th century (Fay 

 1957). Apparently, the retrieved harvests of some 10,000 to 20,000 walruses per 

 year at that time were far greater than the population could sustain. Thus, for a 

 time, man the predator had a significant depleting influence on the Pacific 

 walrus population, and it is probable that his predation continues to be the main 

 cause of walrus mortality. 



Until a few years ago, most of the taking of walruses by Alaskan Eskimos in the 

 20th century was done from homemade boats {umiak), which consisted of a 

 wooden frame about 10 m long, 1 m deep, and 1.5 to 2 m wide, over which was 

 stretched a covering of split walrus hides or whole bearded seal hides (see 

 Buckley 1958) . In recent years, these boats were powered by an outboard engine, 

 mounted on the stern or in a "well" just forward of the stern. Each boat was 

 manned by a small crew of 3 to 10 people. In some Alaskan localities and along 

 most of the Siberian coast, wooden boats of various kinds were used as well, 

 often with an inboard engine. The umiaks were more versatile than the wooden 

 boats, being more resilient and resistant to the effects of ice. Also, they were light 

 enough to permit them to be drawn long distances over ice by manpower alone. 

 At present, much of the walrus hunting by Alaskan Eskimos is done from lighter 

 weight, aluminum skiffs, manned by two- to three-man crews. 



In my experience, weather and ice conditions tend to be suitable for walrus 

 hunting with small boats on about 1 in 3 days during the main spring-summer 

 harvest period; the hunters successfully locate and catch walruses in only about 

 half of those days (Buckley 1958). The animals are killed, generally at a range of 

 30 m or less, by means of high-powered rifles, mainly of .25 to .35 caliber (6 to 

 9 mm). Alaskan Eskimos prefer to use full-metal-jacketed bullets for maximum 

 penetration of the dense bones. The preferred target area is the central nervous 

 system when a walrus is lying on ice or land, because the objective is to kill the 

 animal outright, in place. Animals in the water usually are secured by harpoon 

 before the killing shot is fired. Soviet regulations require, and Alaskan hunters 

 prefer, that only those animals lying on the ice be taken, since the probability of 

 their being secured is greatest and the expense in materials is least (Table 36). 

 The kinds of animals taken, in terms of sex and age, vary with the season, 

 location, availability, and local preferences, and, of course, with the current 

 regulations and quotas. 



About 80% of the annual Alaskan harvest is taken in May and June in the St. 

 Lawrence Island to Bering Strait area (Burns 1973); 7 to 8% is taken farther 

 north (Point Hope to Barrow) in summer; most of the remainder is taken in the 

 area from Bering Strait to St. Lawrence Island in autumn and winter. Autumn 

 harvests are mainly of animals that have hauled out on shore on the major 

 islands; winter harvests are mainly of animals taken at breathing holes in the ice. 

 Apparently, most of the Soviet harvest by natives is taken during the summer 

 months. 



