Polar Bear Management in the United States. Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears September 1-3, 2015

Transcription

1 Polar Bear Management in the United States Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears September 1-3, 2015

2 Accomplishments Implementing the 1973 Agreement Article II Manage Polar Bear Populations in Accordance with Sound Conservation Practices Released draft Conservation and Management Plan for Polar Bears - we will discuss details of the plan tomorrow Article VII Research and information sharing Several reports relative to efforts by USGS, NSB and Alaska Nanuuq Commission as well as USFWS

3 Accomplishments Implementing the 1973 Agreement Article III Taking of Polar Bears Maintained our Incidental Take Regulations that provide specific guidance to the oil and gas industry Deterrence Guidelines and Education Collaborating with our Alaskan Native partners on polar bear patrols Harvest Working to ensure that harvest of polar bears in the United States is sustainable. Cooperative work with the Alaska Nanuuq Commission and the North Slope Borough

4 U.S. Polar Bear Populations

5 Laws and Agreements 1973 International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act U.S. Endangered Species Act Inuvialuit-Inupiat Agreement U.S./Russia Bilateral Agreement CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna)

6 Legal Standing in the U.S. Conservation Status: Species Listed as Threatened under ESA, 2008 Considered depleted under MMPA, 2008 Critical Habitat designated 2010; currently under judicial review Current Actions: Draft Conservation and Management Plan 5-Year Status Review

7 Polar Bear Harvest Management U..S. Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the hunting of polar bears, except by Alaskan Natives for subsistence and handicraft purposes and clothing Harvest is monitored through a marking, tagging and reporting program Harvest management and monitoring is done in cooperation with the Alaska Nanuuq Commission and the North Slope Borough

8 Alaska Polar Bear Harvest Sport Hunting Marine Mammal Protection Act 1973 Polar Bear Agreement Inupiat / Inuvialuit Agreement Reported harvest from 2013: 59 bears 26 from Chukchi Sea 33 from S Beaufort Sea Numbers from 2014 still being finalized Beaufort Chukchi

9 Marking, Tagging, Reporting Taggers located in 15 Alaskan Native villages The Alaska Nanuuq Commission in collaboration with the State of Alaska and the USFWS, are reviewing the current reporting system and making suggestions for improvement; workshop will be held in October

10 Polar Bear Harvest Management Alaska Nanuuq Commission (ANC) Mission: to ensure that Alaska Native hunters will continue to have the opportunity to harvest these resources through conservation and local civil-based co-management of subsistence uses of the species, because when we lose the resources we hunt or the ability to manage our resources, we also lose our cultures.

11 Polar Bear Harvest Management The Alaska Nanuuq Commission represents the polar bear hunting communities of Alaska to: Encourage and implement self-regulation of polar bear hunting and use by Alaska Natives; Enter into co-management and other local and international agreements with appropriate governmental, native, or other organizations; Be involved in all phases of scientific, biological, and other research programs involving polar bears and the Arctic ecosystem; Provide information and educational materials to the public, appropriate state and federal agencies, and other interested parties. Designated role in implementation of Bilateral Agreement; US Commissioner

12 Polar Bear Harvest Management Community engagement to gain support for developing a management system that is responsive to local and user needs Assessing past polar bear harvest reporting Key messages from the ANC Need for increased understanding of the Arctic and its relationship to polar bear populations Importance of our shared approach and implications of a management strategy Management must be founded in science and funded appropriately

13 Reducing Human-Bear Conflict Goal: Reduce human-polar bear conflicts that arise in coastal communities and work places such as the oil and gas fields, military sites, research camps, etc. Opportunities for conflicts are likely to increase with increasing use of coastal habitat by polar bears and people

14 Reducing Human-Bear Conflict Program has 3 Components: Minimize Attractants Deterrence Program Education & Outreach Courtesy of ACS

15 Minimizing Attractants Prevent access to whale meat Guard/patrol; hazing Electric fence Within village: Household food lockers Ice cellars; freezer vans Dumpsters/landfill

16 North Slope Borough Polar Bear Patrol Primary Objective: Deter bears away from town without endangering the bear or the public Components: Provide the opportunity for exhausted bears to rest when no sea ice is around Minimize attractants (bear resistant food lockers) Develop a deterrence program (training for local villagers) Education and Outreach

17 Education and Outreach Open house Local meetings School visits Posters, kiosk, brochures

18 Education and Outreach Susi to provide slides Wales Helping management partners train community members In July of this year, representatives from ANC, FWS and WWF visited Wales to begin a community-run polar bear patrol

19 Deterrence Training Manual Goal is to standardize methods and training state-wide

20 Incidental Take Infrequent, unavoidable, or accidental Intentional Take Planned, purposeful, and directed (deterrence)

21 Regulatory Protections Petition for new regulations for Beaufort Sea, 2016 Chukchi Sea exploratory drilling Oil spill response plan finalized Oil spill modeling Courtesy of Dick Shideler, ADFG

22 Reporting

23 USFWS research in the Chukchi Sea USFWS and partners captured, studied, and released 300 polar bears , 2013, and 2015 Deployed 90 radiocollars and 65 prototype satellite tags Lines of investigation: Body condition, reproduction, health and nutritional ecology Habitat use and distribution Population dynamics Collaborative effort with U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and many others Continued work planned for , including expanded geographic sampling Locations of captured polar bears on the sea ice of the Chukchi Sea between the Lisburne and Seward peninsulas.

24 Research in the Chukchi Sea Rode et al Variation in the response of an Arctic top predator experiencing habitat loss: feeding and reproductive ecology of two polar bear populations. Global Change Biology 20: Rode et al Rode et al Good body condition and reproduction in , compared to contemporary data in SBS and data in the CS Suggests capacity for positive population growth Caveats: short study, limited geographic sampling, may not reflect actual population growth (e.g., does not consider human-caused removals)

25 Research in the Chukchi Sea Wilson et al Identifying polar bear resource selection patterns to inform offshore development in a dynamic and changing Arctic. Ecosphere 5(10):136. Wilson et al Evaluate habitat use in relation to changing physical (e.g., sea ice) and ecological factors (e.g., biological productivity) Map seasonal distribution in relation to human activities such as oil and gas development in the CS Lease Sale Area

26 Population modeling and harvest management Regehr et al Resilience and risk A demographic model to inform conservation planning for polar bears. U.S. Geological survey Open-File Report , 56 p. Regehr et al New tool for population viability and risk analysis Proposes a state-dependent management framework that considers habitat change, density effects, harvest vulnerabilities, and information quality (better data less risk) Identifies conditions under which harvest is and is not likely to have a negative effect on persistence for populations declining due to sea-ice loss

27 Other initiatives and collaborations Chukchi Sea Voorhees, H et al Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Northwestern Alaska. Arctic 67(4): National Oceanic and Atmospheric aerial surveys for ringed seals, bearded seals, and polar bears (planned for 2016) North Slope Borough and Alaska Department of Fish and Game non-invasive genetic sampling pilot study (planned for 2016)

28 Other initiatives and collaborations Southern Beaufort Sea Miller et al. In Press. Polar bear-grizzly bear interactions during the autumn open water period in Alaska. Journal of Mammalogy. Coastal aerial surveys during the ice-retreat season to evaluate polar bear abundance, distribution, and timing of land use (publication planned 2016) Improved design and analysis of polar bear population studies Identified as global priority (Vongraven et al. 2012) Collaborators include USFWS, U.S. Geological Survey, Environment Canada, others Funded in 2015; publication planned

29 U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Nanuuq Commission North Slope Borough Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management National Park Service Bureau of Land Management National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Teck Inc. Department of Defense National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Environment Canada Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Marine Mammal Council and CHAZTO (Russia) Academic institutions (WSU, University of Washington, York, Dalhousie) Industry (Shell, British Petroleum, Conoco Phillips) Zoos (Alaska, Oregon) Partners, collaborators, and supporters Nongovernmental organizations (WWF, Defenders of Wildlife, Polar Bears International)

30 CITES and Polar Bears U.S. considering CITES Appendix I for CoP17 U.S. concerned commercial international trade impacts long-term survival of the species and compounds the threat posed by the loss of sea ice CITES does not address climate change; but is an additional tool U.S. wanted to raise concerns with range states at this meeting We will consult and seek updated information before final decision Drawings: &

31 Statement by Charles Brower, Chair of the ANC