The U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission met last week to discuss a potential coordinated and sustainable harvest by Native peoples in Alaska and Russia for their shared population of polar bears. The commission recommended that a limited polar bear harvest be permitted for traditional and cultural purposes based on a quota system.
- The take would be limited to 19 females and 39 males per year (at present, Alaska Natives harvest an average of 38 bears per year)
- The harvest territory would include the Bering and Chukchi seas
- Quota numbers would be re-evaluated every year based on scientific data
- The decision would end a 50-year hunting ban on the Russia side, but improved monitoring is expected to decrease poaching in that country
Commission members include delegates from the U.S. and Russia representing federal, state, and Native groups. The recommendation will be presented at the commission's next meeting in June 2011.
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