See also:

Ringed Seal Abundance
 

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• The estimate of polar bear numbers in the southern Beaufort Sea area is 1,800 bears. The average harvest of bears during this five year period was 56 animals and an average of 36% were females. The estimated sustainable harvest during the period was 74 animals so the population is thought to be under harvested.

Why is it important?

• Polar bears are an important top predator in the marine ecosystem and have many links to other parts of the food web. Changes in the ocean's productivity which may be caused by natural changes in physical factors may lead to readjustments throughout the marine ecosystem. For example, polar bear populations are thought to be closely tied to changes in ringed seal reproduction.
• Predators, like polar bears, who eat at the end of food chains are also vulnerable to the effects of contaminants which they may acquire through their diet.

Technical Notes

• This population estimate was taken from a report presented at a meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group that took place in 1997.
• Derocher, Andrew E., Gerald W. Garner, Nickolas J. Lunn and Oystein Wiig [Eds.] [in press] Proceedings of the Twelfth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 3-7 February 1997, Oslo, Norway. Occasional Papers No. 19. 200pp.