The influence of wind and ice on spring walrus hunting success on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

Evaluating the Effects of Climate Change on Indigenous Marine Mammal Hunting in Northern and Western Alaska Using Traditional Knowledge

“…The impacts of a changing physical and ecological environment on marine mammal hunting in the Arctic have been reported in other studies of traditional knowledge; for example shorter hunting seasons (Krupnik and Ray, 2007), unstable sea ice as a hunting platform (Fall et al, 2013), and increased concern over shipping, and oil and gas exploration (Hovelsrud et al, 2008), and reduced hunting opportunities due to changing weather patterns and ice conditions (Ashjian et al, 2010;Kapsch et al, 2010;Hansen et al, 2013;Huntington et al, 2013b). The ability of hunters to adjust, with varying degrees of success, to changes that have occurred thus far is, of course, no guarantee that they will continue to be able to do so.…”

Strong connections, loose coupling: the influence of the Bering Sea ecosystem on commercial fisheries and subsistence harvests in Alaska

“…Annual meetings of all the investigators provided the opportunity for in-depth interactions and learning that was truly interdisciplinary. Many interesting discussions arose, some of which developed into papers that were not anticipated at the project's start (e.g., Ianelli et al 2011, Huntington et al 2013b, Renner and Huntington 2014. A great deal was learned about many aspects of the ecosystem, including a reinforcement of the idea that the social and economic realms overlap the natural realm but do not fall entirely within it.…”

“…There are many physical and biological variables involved in hunting success, and the inability of Huntington et al (2013b) to explain much of the hunting variability by considering wind and ice conditions must be considered in that light. Favorable conditions provide only the opportunity.…”

“…Another Bering Sea Project analysis looked at the influence of sea ice and wind conditions on walrus harvests on St. Lawrence Island (Huntington et al 2013b), which biologists and hunters both reported as major influences on walrus hunting success. Based on local observations about sea ice formation and break-up, and using daily records of walrus hunting effort and success from the U.S.…”

“…The implication of (c) is that our awareness of these ecosystem-human interactions allows us to develop robust management strategies (i.e., that understanding the ecosystem is the key to good management). The conceptual model from the Pfeiffer and Haynie (2012) Pollock and ice cover Changing ice and prices of different fish interact Haynie et al (2014) Cod and water temperature Vessels adjust movement and gear behavior to adjust to lower catch rates Fall et al (2013) Subsistence harvest Food preference (taste); cost of hunting; ability to shift harvests Huntington et al (2013a) Perception of ecosystem health User conflicts; ability to satisfy demand Huntington et al (2013b) Walrus harvest Employment patterns; fuel prices; conflicting activities (e.g., funerals during hunting season) † Each publication's chief nexus between humans and the ecosystem. ‡ Factors that affect the degree of tight coupling between ecosystem change and human outcome.…”