1
Technical epo No. 45, 2002
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
The pola bea hun
in G eenland
2
Ti le: The pola bea hun in G eenland
Au ho : Aqqalu Rosing-As id
T ansla ion: So ia Geisle
Se ies:Technical epo No. 45, 2002
Publishe : G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Co e pho o: Mos pola bea hun s in G eenland s ill in ol es he use o dogs
Pho o: Aqqalu Rosing-As id
Layou : Ki s en Rydahl
ISBN: 87-90024-99-0
ISSN: 1397-3657
P in ing: Oddi L d., Reykja ik, Iceland
P in s: 100
Re e ence: Rosing-As id, Aqqalu, 2002. The pola bea hun in G eenland.
Technical epo No. 45. G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces, Nuuk.
25 pp.
Key wo ds: G eenland, Pola bea s, hun ing
A ailable om:G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
P. O . Box 570
DK-3900 Nuuk
G eenland
Phone: +299 32 10 95
Fax: +299 32 59 57
www.na u .gl
3
The pola bea hun
in G eenland
Technical epo No. 45, 2002
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
By
Aqqalu Rosing-As id
4
Abs ac
The hun o pola bea s (U sus ma i imus) in
G eenland has no es ic ions as o he numbe
o bea s ha can be killed each yea . The e a e,
howe e , limi a ions in he ype o hun ing gea
ha can be used, as well as es ic ions in he
hun o emales and cubs. These es ic ions
e ec i ely p e en he inc ease o he ange o he
hun e s, bu hey ha e only limi ed e ec wi hin
he hun ing a ea.
Mos pola bea s a e hun ed wi h dog sledges
du ing win e and sp ing as in ea lie days bu
an inc easing numbe o bea s a e caugh om
small ski s in summe and all.
The o al yield has been s able in Eas G eenland
du ing he las decades, whe eas Cen al and
No hwes G eenland ha e expe ienced an in-
c ease since mid 1980’s, p obably as a esul o
mo e bea s in he a ea. Mo e old bea s a e caugh
in I oqqo oo mii han in A ane suaq, and
along he coas , he e seems o be se e al seg e-
ga ions be ween sex and age g oups.
Ca ch s a is ics a e an impo an ool in he ma-
nagemen o he species bu he p esen sys em
o egis e ing he pola bea ca ches does ail in
some ins ances and can be imp o ed.
Sammen a ning
De e ingen ø e g ænse o den å lige angs a
isbjø ne i G ønland. De e dog beg ænsninge o
h ad ype jag uds y de må b uges, og de e
es ik ione på angs a hunbjø ne og unge .
Disse es ik ione ha på en e ek i måde o -
hind e , a ange ne ha o øge de es jag om åde,
men inden o de an end e angs om åde ha
egele ne kun beg ænse e ek .
Som idlige e bli e de les e isbjø ne ange a hun-
deslæde om in e en og o å e , men e s igende
an al isbjø ne anges nu om somme en og e e å e
a jolle elle små mo o både.
Den o ale angs i Øs g ønland ha æ e s abil
gennem de sids e å ie , men angs en e siden
mid en a 1980’e ne s ege i Cen al- og No dg øn-
land - sandsynlig is o di de e le e isbjø ne i
om åde . De bli e ange le e gamle isbjø ne i
I oqqo oo mii end i A ane suaq, og langs
kys en syn es de a æ e le e udspal ninge a
køns- og alde sg uppe .
Fangs s a is ikken e e ig ig edskab il b ug
o o al ningen a denne a , men de nu æ en-
de sys em ejle i isse si ua ione , og kan o bed-
es.
Eqikkaaneq
Nannu ukiumu pisa ineqa sinnaasu qassiunis-
saa aalajange sa neqanngilaq. Pinia ne mili a o -
u aalajange saa igineqa simappu soo lulu
nannu a na ia pia aasalu pinia neqa sinnaane-
a immikku aalajange saa igineqa simasoq. Aa-
lajange sakka pissu aallu ik sumii iik pinia iu-
soq anne usinngilaq, sumii innili pinia iusuni
immine mi male uagassa sunniu aa annikippoq.
Nannu pisa ineqa u ukiuune ani upe naaju-
ne anilu qimussimik pisa ineqa a pu , ame lia -
uinna ulli aasaane ani ukiaane anilu umia siaaq-
qa a o lugi pisa ineqa ale pu .
Ukiu qulikkaa qaangiu u inge lane anni Tu-
numi pisa isa akka ame lassu simikku aamaa-
ginna u 1980-ikku qi eqqunne annii Ki aani
A annaanilu pisa ineqa a u ame lia o pu , a-
maani nannu ame lia o ne a pa sisaasinnaal-
luni. A ane sua mu sanilliullugu nannu u oq-
qaa Illoqqo oo miuni pisa ineqa a u ame lane-
uppu ; suiaassusaa u oqqaassusaallu eqqa saa-
igalugi uumasoqa igii sine issami naamma -
uugassaasu imminnu a uumassu eqanngi su
ilimana sinnaalluni.
Nannu pinia neqa ne annik nakku iginninne -
mu a a illugu pisanik nalunaa suineq pingaa-
u eqa luinna poq - nalunaa sue iaase li a o ne-
qa oq amigaa eqa sinnaasa poq amannali iliuu-
seqa igineqa sinnaa oq.
5
Pola bea s ha e p obably been hun ed in
G eenland o as long as he Inui ha e
inhabi ed he island. Today mode n i les
execu e he inal kill, bu he majo i y o
he hun s a e s ill likely o in ol e dogs
and sledges, as in ea lie imes. The e is no
limi o he numbe o bea s ha can be a-
ken bu ehicles (including snow mobiles)
and boa s la ge han 40 BRT may no be
used in he hun o as anspo a ion o o
om he hun ing place. I is no allowed o
use poison, any kind o ap, small calibe
i les, sho guns o semi- and ully au oma-
ic i les. In he municipali ies A ane suaq,
Upe na ik, Ammassalik and I oqqo oo -
mii , cubs up o one yea o age and hei
mo he s a e p o ec ed h oughou he
yea , a ule ha applies o mo he s and 2
In oduc ion
yea old cubs in he es o G eenland. The
hun ing season o emales las s om Sep-
embe o July, excep in Ammassalik,
whe e he hun ing season is om Oc obe
o Augus . Adul males may be hun ed
h oughou he yea (Anon 1994).
These egula ions p e en he hun e s om
imp o ing hei e iciency wi h mode n
echnology, while a he same ime allowing
a ela i ely ee and uncon olled hun in
a eas whe e en o cemen o he law is di -
icul anyway. The p esen pape desc ibes
and discusses ends in he yield o pola
bea s on he basis o a ailable in o ma ion
abou he ca ch numbe s and he geog a-
phical, seasonal and demog aphical dis i-
bu ion o he kills along he coas .
Da a o e iew
Fo each o he desc ibed a eas a comp e-
hensi e o e iew o he a ailable pola
bea ade and ca ch s a is ics is gi en by
ex ac ion om he ollowing sou ces: Da a
om Disko Bay o Upe na ik (1796-1882)
is skin pu chase ex ac ed by Ch is ian
Vibe om “Koloni egnskabe ne” and “Ske-
ma iske indbe e ninge ” and published in
his doc o al hesis (1967). Da a on skin
pu chase (1882-1908) a e om “Meddelel-
se a Di ek o a e o den kongelige g øn-
landske handel” and da a o he pe iod
1909-37 a e om “Be e ninge og kundgø-
else ed ø ende Kolonie ne I G ønland”.
F om 1938 o 1953, da a a e om ”Be e nin-
ge ed ø ende G ønlands s y else” and
da a om 1954 o 1983 a e om he o icial
ca ch s a is ic (“Lis o Game”). The pe iod
1984 o 1998 is a mix u e o unpublished
da a collec ed o he o icial ca ch s a is ic
(1984-87), skin pu chase, da a om in e -
iews and a sample-collec ion, da a om
“Pinia neq” (1993-98) and da a om he
hun ing epo s (1995-98) (see below).
The o icial hun ing s a is ics
(“Lis o Game” and “Pinia neq”)
The “Lis o Game” (Anon 1954-83 &
unpublished da a 1984-87) is based upon
he p inciple ha an appoin ed pe son om
each se lemen kep accoun o he kills
made by all he hun e s in his se lemen
and epo ed hese o he cen al au ho i-
ies on a o m o each hun e (Kapel &
Rosing-As id 1995). When such epo s
o some eason we e missing, an es ima e
o he yield was made based upon “o he
in o ma ion”. These epo s we e made o
mos hun e s un il mid 1970’s, a e which
he epo ing slowly de e io a ed and s op-
ped in 1987. “Pinia neq” was ini ia ed in
Ma e ial and me hods
6
Oc obe 1992 and is s ill ongoing. The p in-
ciple o his sys em is ha each hun e , o
enew his hun ing license, has o epo
his kills once a yea by illing ou a o m
ha speci ies kills/species/mon h. This is
done in Sep embe and he o al numbe s
o a gi en yea a e published wi h a delay
o app oxima ely wo yea s. Since 1995,
hun e s ha e also been obliged o go o he
local o ice o ill in a hun ing epo wi h
da e, posi ion, sex and app oxima e age o
any killed pola bea .
The pu chase o hides
Mos pola bea hides om he Eas Coas o
G eenland a e sold o a go e nmen owned
company and hei eco ds p o ide a good
minimum es ima e o he pola bea s caugh
in he a ea. The “Royal G eenland T ading
Depa men ” (KGH) monopolized his
ade un il 1953 whe e G eenland changed
s a us om a Danish colony o a coun y
wi hin he Danish kingdom. Al hough he
u ma ked now was open o o he s, KGH
con inued as he only u ade in G een-
land bu he inc easing numbe o Danes
wo king in G eenland is likely o ha e
inc eased he numbe o hides ha we e
sold di ec ly o p i a e pe sons. Sho ly
a e he es ablishmen o a home ule
go e nmen in G eenland in 1979, a anne-
y was buil in Sou hwes G eenland (Ka-
laalli Nunaa a Amme i ia – now also
known as G ea G eenland). In 1987 i
adop ed he u ade and he G eenland
S a is ical O ice (GSK) annually announ-
ces hei pu chases o pola bea hides.
In o ma ion om a issue sampling
p og am
Be ween 1988 and 1996, he hun e s in he
municipali ies o I oqqo oo mii (Sco esby
Sund) and A ane suaq (Thule) we e p o-
ided wi h sample bags in o de o collec
a ious issue samples om eshly killed
bea s. Along wi h his wen a ques ionnai e
abou da e and posi ion o he kill, hun ing
me hod, sex and age ca ego y o he bea
(young, adul , old), and, o amily g oups,
he numbe o cubs and hei app oxima e
age. A o al o 275 samples om I oqqo -
oo mii and 97 samples om A ane suaq
we e collec ed. Addi ionally, 39 simila
da a se s om I oqqo oo mii , collec ed
by he G eenland En i onmen al Resea ch
Ins i u e in he pe iod 1983-87, a e included
in he analysis p esen ed he e. Fo all he
samples whe e a oo h was deli e ed, an
es ima ed age was de e mined by coun ing
he annuli in he oo h cemen um, acco -
ding o Calwe and Ramsay (1998).
In e iews and ques ionnai es
In 1988, h ee e y ac i e pola bea hun-
e s om I oqqo oo mii illed in ques ion-
nai es abou he bea s hey had hun ed.
Some o hese da a a e used in he sec ion
abou he demog aphic composi ion o he
kills in I oqqo oo mii .
In 1989, se en y hun e s om A ane suaq
we e in e iewed abou hei pola bea
hun s. These hun e s ep esen ed app oxi-
ma ely 60% o he hun e s in he munici-
pali y and close o 100% o he expe ienced
pola bea hun e s. The in e iews we e
conduc ed in G eenlandic and he hun e s
we e asked o gi e de ailed in o ma ion
abou ime and place o as many pola bea
kills as possible. Fu he mo e, in o ma ion
was collec ed on sex and app oxima e size
o he bea s by ca ego izing he kills as
“small”, “medium” o “la ge”. An app o-
xima e age was eco ded o he cubs and
i was no ed whe he he adul bea s had
been alone, in a amily g oup, o oge he
wi h a ma e. The hun e s also had o name
o he pa icipan s in he hun .
La e , he no es we e summa ized o each
hun e and he in o ma ion c osschecked
wi h ha o he o he hun e s. Some hun-
e s only emembe ed de ails om he las
2-3 yea s and comple e co e age was only
possible o 1988-89. A o al da a se o
150 pola bea kills om he pe iod 1980-
89 was ob ained.
7
In 1990, wen y-one hun e s om Upe na ik
( ep esen ing 7-8% o he occupa ional
hun e s o he municipali y) we e in e -
iewed. This p o ided simila in o ma ion
Figu e 1. The G eenland coas line wi h names o a eas men ioned in he ex (Map 1) .
abou 47 pola bea s killed in he pe iod
1984-90. Resul s om bo h se ies o in e -
iews can be seen in mo e de ails in
Rosing-As id & Bo n (1990).
Ammassalik
8
Ca ch his o y
Sco esby Sund (la e known as I oqqo oo -
mii ) was es ablished in 1925 and mo e han
100 pola bea s we e aken in he i s yea .
The ca ches we e high o he i s 5 yea s,
bu hen slowly d opped o a le el o a ound
20/yea in he beginning o he 1960’s. P i-
ces on pola bea hides we e e y low in he
beginning o he 1960’s bu inc eased om
500 DKK in 1967 (Sandell & Sandell 2001) o
6.300 DKK in 1972 (Anon. 1973). The ca ches
also inc eased a li le bu quickly s abilized
wi h an a e age a ound 30/yea . (Figu e 2).
T ends in he ecen yea s ca ch
numbe s
The “Lis o Game” om 1972-86 has an
a e age o 42 pola bea s killed in I oqqo -
oo mii annually ( ange: 19-69) and “Pi-
Figu e 4. T ends in he numbe o epo ed kills o
pola bea s, he numbe o hides pu chased o
KGH/G ea G eenland, he o icial numbe o kills,
he numbe s gi en by Sandell & Sandell (1996)
and he es ima ed minimum kill gi en in ig.1.
Figu e 2. The numbe o pola bea s caugh in
I oqqo oo mii 1925-98 (da a is a mix u e o hide
pu chase and ca ch s a is ics).
Figu e 3. The numbe o issue samples collec ed
in I oqqo oo mii compa ed wi h he numbe o
hides sold o G ea G eenland, he epo ed kills
(“Pinia neq”) he hun ing epo s om he pe iod
1993-96 and a minimum yield ob ained by
combining hese da ase s.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
Tissue samples
Hides
Pinia neq
Minimum ca ch
Filled in o ms
Numbe
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1925/1926
1932/1933
1939/1940
1946/1947
1953/1954
1960/1961
1968
1975
1982
1989
1996
Numbe
The pola bea hun in I oqqo oo mii
nia neq” 1993-98 has an annual a e age
yield o 32 ( ange: 26-43). Howe e , by com-
pa ing da a om he issue sampling p o-
g am wi h da a abou he epo ed kills, a
minimum es ima e was ob ained o he
yea s 1993-95 ha is highe han he epo -
ed kills (Figu e 3).
Sandell & Sandell (1996) ound ha 46 bea s
we e killed in 1993 and Sandell e al. (2001)
ound by in e iewing 30 hun e s ha he
ca ches in he pe iod 1994-98 had been a
leas ; 49, 58, 28, 27 and 50 espec i ely.
Using hese numbe s, oge he wi h ou
minimum es ima e o 1995 and he hide
pu chases in 1996, an annual a e age o
52 killed pola bea s is ob ained o 1993-
98 ( ange: 34-68) (Figu e 4).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
Repo ed ca ches
Hide pu chase
O ical ca ch numbe
Sandel & Sandel
Minimum ca ch
Numbe
9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Jan. Feb. Ma . Ap . May June July Aug. Sep. Oc . No . Dec.
Lis o Game 1975-83
%
Hide pu chase is he mos consis en da a
se o he pe iod 1972-97. A linea eg es-
sion analysis be ween yea and hide pu -
chase gi es a s able ca ch o a ound 31.1
hides wi hou any end (y = 0.03x +31.1;
2 = 0.0002; d = 22; P = 0.95).
Commen s: Following old Eas G eenland
adi ions, he hide o a pola bea belongs
o he pe son who i s spo s he bea , no
ma e i he/she pa icipa es in he hun .
Mos hides a e sold and he pu chase e-
co ds o I oqqo oo mii and Ammassalik
gi e a good minimum es ima e o he o al
yield, especially a e he inc eased p ices
in he la e 1960’s. Sandell & Sandell (1996)
s udied esou ce u iliza ion, wi h special
emphasis on he pola bea s in I oqqo -
oo mii . F om 1972 o 1995, hey isi ed
he a ea each yea (wi h ew excep ions),
and ound he o icial numbe o kills
Figu e 5. The posi ions o 267 pola bea kills in
I oqqo oo mii om he pe iod 1983 o 1996
(da a om he sampling p og am).
Figu e 6a + b. a) The seasonal dis ibu ion o all
epo ed pola bea kills in I oqqo oo mii epo -
ed in he “Lis o Game” (1975-83) and b) The
seasonal dis ibu ion o he ca ches om he
sampling p og am in I oqqo oo mii di ided by
a ea (1988-96).
o e ed by “Lis o Game” is qui e eliable,
despi e poo epo ing in some yea s. Fo
he pe iod wi hou s a is ics (1987-92), hei
no es abou he numbe s o kills (Sandell &
Sandell 1996) a e used in Figu es 2 and 4.
Bo h hei and ou da a shows ha he new
o icial ca ch s a is ic, “Pinia neq”, ails in
some yea s (see discussion).
The pola bea hun ing p ac ice in
I oqqo oo mii
The e a e h ee main a eas o pola bea
hun s in I oqqo oo mii : 1) nea he se -
lemen s. 2) on he Blosse ille Coas , sou h
o he se lemen s. 3) along he coas a
no h o he se lemen s (Figu e 5).
Kills nea he se lemen s and on he Blos-
se ille coas ake place in all seasons bu
he hun ing a no h o he se lemen s is
only in sp ing (Ma ch-June) (Fig. 6).
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Jan. Feb. Ma . Ap . May June July Aug. Sep. Oc . No . Dec.
O he
No h coas
Nea he se lemen s
Sou h coas
Samples 1988-96 (N =250)
%
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Jan. Feb. Ma . Ap . May June July Aug. Sep. Oc . No . Dec.
Lis -o -Game 1975-83 (N = 22)
Pinia neq 1993-98 (N = 115)
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
Repo ed kills
O icial numbe o kills
Numbe o hun e s
epo ing
Repo ed and o icial numbe o kills
Numbe o hun e s epo ing
Da is S ai ge s close o he G eenland
coas . Some bea s a e killed nea he coas ,
o he s by hun e s sea ching o wal us
and beluga along he edge o he Ba in Bay
pack ice. I is no possible o quan i y he
use o hun ing me hods in he a ea, bu
mos bea s a e p obably sho om boa s.
In he la es yea s “Pinia neq” has epo -
ed se e al bea s om Augus o Oc obe
(Fig. 17), which is e y unusual, and mos
likely o be an e o (see discussion).
Commen s: The jo d and land ice condi-
ions om Nuuk o Sisimiu a e e y simila
o hose u he sou h wi h open wa e in
mos coas al a eas, bu om Sisimiu o
Uummannaq bo h jo d ice and coas al
as ice is o med in mos a eas. The d i
ice om he Eas Coas seldom eaches as
a no h as Nuuk and close o all bea s
a e belie ed o come om he Ba in Bay/
Da is S ai pack ice.
The demog aphy o he pola bea s
killed in Cen al Wes G eenland
The only da a on he demog aphic s uc-
u e o he bea s om Cen al Wes G een-
land is he in o ma ion om 13 hun ing
epo s om 1995-98. One o hese bea s
was p obably 2-yea s old, h ee we e young
bea s, and nine we e adul bea s, o which
ou consis ed o wo ma ing pai s.
Figu e 16. T ends in he epo ed kills o pola
bea s, he o icial numbe o kills and he numbe
o hun e s epo ing in Cen al Wes G eenland.
Figu e 15. Numbe o pola bea s caugh in Cen-
al Wes G eenland (Nuuk-Uummannaq) 1882-
1998 (da a is a mix u e o hide pu chase and
ca ch s a is ics).
Figu e 17. Seasonal dis ibu ion o he pola bea
kills om Cen al Wes G eenland, acco ding o
he “Lis o Game” 1975-83 and Pinia neq 1993-98.
Ca ch his o y
The Ba in Bay pack ice comes close o he
coas in he no he n pa o Upe na ik di-
s ic , whe e pola bea s hun s ake place
on a egula basis. The ca ches we e low du-
ing he wa m pe iod, 1925 o 1970; hey
s ayed low du ing he colde 1970’s, whe e
he popula ion p obably was diminished
The pola bea hun in Upe na ik
a e a pe iod wi h o e exploi a ion o he
s ock on he Canadian side du ing he 1960’s.
In mid 1980’s, he ca ches inc eased o a
le el a ound o sligh ly highe han he
le el a ound he beginning o he las
cen u y (Fig. 18).
0
10
20
30
40
50
1882/1883
1892/1893
1902/1903
1912/1913
1922/1923
1932/1933
1942/1943
1952/1953
1962/1963
1973
1983
1993
17
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Repo ed kills
O ical numbe o kills
Numbe o hun e s epo ing
O icial and Repo ed numbe o
Numbe o hun e s epo ing
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1796/1797
1813/1814
1830/1831
1847/1848
1864/1865
1881/1882
1898/1899
1915/1916
1932/1933
1949/1950
1966/1967
1984
Numbe
The hide pu chase s a is ics goes u he
back han shown on Figu e 18, bu o he
pe iod 1800 o 1982, I ha e only been able
o come up wi h he combined da a om
he a ea Disko Bay o Upe na ik (Fig. 19).
T ends in he ecen yea s ca ch
s a is ics
Acco ding o he “Lis o Game” o he
pe iod 1970–87, an annual a e age o 9
pola bea s we e killed in he Upe na ik
municipali y ( ange: 1-41). “Pinia neq”
1993-98, gi es an annual a e age o 37
( ange: 25-48) (Fig. 20).
Commen s: The “Lis -o -Game” has unc-
ioned well in Upe na ik and in only wo
o he la es yea s was he o icial numbe
o kills adjus ed o non- epo ed bea s.
Du ing he 1980’s many hun e s om Upe -
na ik seems o ha e adop ed he adi ion
om A ane suaq o wea ing pola bea
pan s and he e o e hey ha e also adop ed
he A ane suaq adi ion o di iding he
ou come o a pola bea hun in (Fig 21) so
only ew hides has been pu chased om
Upe na ik du ing he la es decades. Mos
inged seal skins, howe e , a e sold o G ea
G eenland and he e is a good co ela ion
be ween he numbe o epo ed inged
seals and he skin pu chase. This indica es
ha “Pinia neq” wo ks well in Upe na ik.
Figu e 20. T ends in he numbe o epo ed kills
o pola bea s, he o icial numbe o kills and he
numbe o hun e s epo ing in Upe na ik.
Figu e 18. Numbe o pola bea s caugh in Upe -
na ik 1882-1998 (da a is a mix u e o hide pu -
chase and ca ch s a is ics).
Figu e 19. Numbe o pola bea s caugh om
Disko Bay o Upe na ik 1796-1998 (da a is a mix-
u e o hide pu chase and ca ch s a is ics).
Figu e 21. Di ision o he pola bea hides in A a-
ne suaq and Upe na ik. Mos hides a e used o
pola bea pan s. Following he adi ion, ou
hun e s ge a pa o he hide, acco ding o he
o de in which hey a i ed o he bea ; a i h
hun e only ge s a pa o he mea .
I ou hun e s kill a bea , he one who caugh up
wi h he bea and kills i ge s: Hide pa 1 + he
skull + mea pa ( he back and le o eleg).
Hun e no. 2 ge s: Hide (2) + mea ( igh o eleg).
Hun e no. 3 ge s: Hide (3) + mea (one hind leg).
Hun e no. 4 ge s: Hide (4) + mea (one hind leg).
A, B and C shows how he hide is di ided i he
numbe o hun e s is 4, 3 and 2, espec i ely.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1882/1883
1892/1893
1902/1903
1912/1913
1922/1923
1932/1933
1942/1943
1952/1953
1962/1963
1973
1983
1993
18
The pola bea hun ing p ac ice in
Upe na ik
Se e al hun e s om Upe na ik mo ed o
he se lemen o Sa issi ik in A ane suaq
du ing he 1960’s and 1970’s and s ong
amily ies now connec hese wo o me
ela i ely sepa a e a eas. Back hen, he e
we e only ew pola bea s a ound Upe na-
ik. The hun peaked in Ap il and many
o hese bea s we e aken du ing hun ing
ips by hun e s oge he wi h new iends
o ela i es om A ane suaq (in o ma ion
om he in e iews), o on ou e o o om
isi s in Sa issi ik. In he las hal o he
1980´s, he numbe o bea s caugh a ound
Upe na ik has inc eased, especially in he
da k mon hs o Decembe and Janua y.
Many bea s a e now ound in ea ly sp ing
a ound he shallow banks o Upe na ik
(Fig. 24), whe e many o he bea s ha e
been sho in he la es yea s (Fig. 22).
Ano he new end, acco ding o “Pinia -
neq” is ha mo e ca ches a e made om
Augus and Sep embe .
Mos pola bea s a e hun ed by sledge and
he demog aphic composi ion ob ained is
e y simila o ha om he sou he n pa
o A ane suaq ( able 3).
Commen s: The ice condi ions along he
coas o Upe na ik a e no e y di e en
om a eas a he sou h. Bu he gap be-
ween he consolida ed pack ice o Ba in
Bay and he coas al as ice is na owing
conside ably in he no he n pa o he
dis ic , whe e a shi om a sub-a c ic o
a high-a c ic ma ine auna occu s. The wo
ice habi a s a e sepa a ed by d i ice ha
can be c ossed he e by dog sledge, he eby
accessing an a ea wi h a high densi y o
bea s. Acco ding o some o he olde hun e s
he shallow banks o he coas o Upe na-
ik, now ha e many bea s, as compa ed o
hei isi s back in he 1970’s, when no
many bea s we e seen.
Figu e 22. The seasonal dis ibu ion o he kills in
Upe na ik, acco ding o he da a om a) “Lis o
Game” 1970-83, b) The in e iews 1983-90 and c)
“Pinia neq” 1993-98.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Janua y Ma ch May July Sep embe No embe
Numbe
Upe na ik Sou h
Upe na ik No h
Upe na ik In e iews 1983-90
N = 48
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Janua y Ma ch May July Sep embe No embe
Numbe
Up Sou h
Up No h
N = 210
Upe na ik Pinia neq 1993-98
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Jan Ma Maj Jul Sep No
Numbe
Up . Sou h
Up . No h
Upe na ik Lis -o -Game 1970-83
N = 122
19
Ca ch his o y
Ca ch s a is ics om A ane suaq a e e y
sca ce. Hun e s om his a ea use he po-
la bea hide o make he adi ional pola
bea pan s and skin pu chase s a is ics gi e
no indica ion o he numbe o bea s aken.
Fu he mo e, he “Lis o Game” ne e
unc ioned p ope ly in his egion and i
only o e s in o ma ion o some yea s.
Bo n (1987) es ima ed, on he basis o in-
o ma ion om local hun e s, who kills
since mid 1970´s we e in he o de o 30
pe yea . Based on in e iews wi h hun e s,
Rosing-As id & Bo n (1990) es ima ed he
numbe o kills in 1988 and 1989 o ha e
been 24 and 48, espec i ely. Bo h o hese
yea s, howe e , we e said o be unusual.
In 1988, he dis empe i us killed many o
he dogs in he a ea, hus only ew hun e s
could hun pola bea s ha yea . On he
con a y 1989 was said o ha e been a yea
wi h ex ao dina ily high numbe s o bea s
and a yield abo e no mal. The a e age
numbe o kills o he 1980´s is, he e o e,
likely o ha e been somewhe e be ween
he yields o 1988 and 1989, p obably close
o 30 pe yea .
T ends in he ecen yea s ca ch
s a is ics
The “Lis o Game” has an annual a e age o
25 pola bea s killed in A ane suaq du ing
1978-85 ( ange: 16–35), mos ly based on
“o he in o ma ion”, whe eas “Pinia neq”
1993-98 has an a e age o 29 ( ange: 22–41)
(Fig 23).
The pola bea hun ing-p ac ice in
A ane suaq
The pola bea hun in A ane suaq can be
di ided in o he ollowing h ee geog aphi-
cal a eas: 1) Kane Basin, 2) The a ea be ween
Kane Basin and Mel ille Bay, 3) Mel ille
Bay and he No heas e n pa o he con-
solida ed pack ice o Ba in Bay (Fig 24).
The pola bea hun in A ane suaq
Figu e 23. T ends in he epo ed kills o pola
bea s, he o icial numbe o kills and he numbe
o hun e s epo ing hei kills in A ane suaq.
Figu e 24. The mos impo an a eas o pola
bea hun ing in A ane suaq and Upe na ik. The
hachu ed a ea is whe e nea ly all ca ches a e
done. The e icula ed a eas a e mos o en
sea ched by he pola bea hun e s.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1989
1994
1996
1998
Numbe o Kills
-10
10
30
50
70
90
110
130
150
Numbe o hun e s epo ing
Repo ed kills
Kills (In e iew)
Numbe o hun e s epo ing
O ical numbe o kills
20
The pola bea hun s in Kane Basin ake
place mainly in Ap il, along he no he n
edge o he No h Wa e polynia. Acco ding
o he in e iews, hese hun s p oduce ap-
p oxima ely 25% o he ha es in A ane -
suaq (5-10 pe yea ). Mos bea s a e likely
o be disco e ed and sho (app oxima ely
5 pe yea ) on he s e ch be ween Kane
Basin and Mel ille Bay due o he limi ed
ice co e and ela i ely dense a ic. The e
is no peak season o hese kills. The annual
numbe o kills by hun e s om A ane suaq
in he Mel ille Bay/Ba in Bay a ea is usual-
ly a ound 10-20. Some bea s a e killed acci-
den ally du ing o he hun ing ac i i ies o
when hey en e he Sa issi ik se lemen
o a hun ing camp, bu mos bea s a e killed
du ing ac i e bea hun s in Ma ch-Ap il.
Some hun e s sea ch o pola bea s along
he ice edge, whe eas o he s c oss he gap
o d i ice o hun on he consolida ed pack
ice in Ba in Bay. The seasonal dis ibu ion
o he ca ches in he h ee a eas is shown
in Figu e 25 a-c.
Commen s: The ice in Mel ille Bay is e y
s able un il i b eaks up in July-Augus .
Shallow-wa e banks along he no he n
pa o he bay a e co e ed wi h huge ice-
be gs om he glacie s, which domina e
he inne pa o he Bay. The glacie - on
a ea is belie ed o be an impo an b eeding
g ound o bo h inged seals and pola bea s
and i has been p o ec ed as a sanc ua y
since 1980. The gap be ween he as ice o
Mel ille Bay and he consolida ed pack ice
o Ba in Bay can be c ossed by dog sledge
in Ma ch, bu when wea he wa ms up in
la e Ap il he pack ice e ea s owa d
Canada. A e ha , only ew pola bea s
a e le on he emaining ice along he
G eenland Coas , whe e hei numbe will
s ay low un il he ice once again b idges
he Ba in Bay gap in No embe . Some o
he hun e s om he cen al pa o A ane -
suaq pa icipa e in he hun on he consoli-
da ed pack ice in Ba in Bay; o he s a el
no hwa d o hun in he Kane Basin a ea.
P e iously, hun e s om A ane suaq also
used o hun pola bea s, musk oxen and
Figu e 25 a+b+c. The seasonal dis ibu ion o he
kills in A ane suaq acco ding o: a) The in e iews
(1980-89), b) The sampling p og am (1988-93)
and c) “Pinia neq” 1993-96.
Pho o: Aqqalu Rosing-As id
Icebe gs s anded in Mel ille Bay.
A ane suaq In e iews 1980-89
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Jan Feb Ma Ap May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oc No Dec
Numbe
Kane Basin
Cen al
A ane suaq
Mel ille Bay
N = 150
A ane suaq Samples 1988-93
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Jan Feb Ma Ap May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oc No Dec
Numbe
Kane Basin
Cen al
A ane suaq
Mel ille Bay
N = 88
0
10
20
30
40
Jan. Feb. Ma . Ap . May June July Aug. Sep. Oc . No . Dec.
A ane suaq Pinia neq 1993-98
N = 187
Numbe
21
ca ibou on Ellesme e Island. The a ea was
conside ed a na u al pa hei hun ing
g ound and spending he summe in he
eas e n pa o he island was no mal. In
1967 howe e , Canada es ic ed he pola
bea hun wi h quo as and Inui om
G eenland we e no longe allowed o hun
bea s in Canadian e i o y. The e o e, he
hun is now es ic ed o he G eenland side,
whe e he no he n edge o he No h
Wa e polynia is conside ed o be he bes
a ea. This ice edge usually b eaks up in July
and, in la e June, wal uses and na whals
migh concen a e a he edge because he
ice blocks hei mig a ion u he no h.
These la ge mammals a e hun ed wi h small
boa s; he mea is pu in depo s on he coas
o dog ood o he pola bea hun s du ing
he coming sp ing. Only ew pola bea s
a e caugh in summe ime and close o all
kills in A ane suaq a e made om dog
sledge.
Figu e 26. Age composi ion o 63 pola bea s
om A ane suaq, aged by coun ing annuli in a
p emola oo h.
A ea Da asou ce Independen
Males
Independen
Females
Dependen
Cubs
Kane Basin In e iews (N = 38)
Samples (N = 13)
71%
76%
24%
24%
5%
0%
Kane Basin o Mel ille Bay In e iews (N = 27)
Samples (N = 17)
52%
39%
37%
46%
11%
15%
Mel ille Bay/Ba in Bay In e iews (N = 90)
Samples (N = 63)
55%
46%
32%
33%
13%
21%
A ane suaq
To al
In e iews (N = 155)
Samples (N = 93)
58%
49%
31%
33%
11%
18%
Upe na ik In e iews (N = 47) 62% 26% 13%
The demog aphy o he ca ches in
A ane suaq
The kills om Kane Basin include mo e
independen males han o he a eas, bu
he da a se s om he in e iews and he
samples ha e o be pooled o make he
sex-/age composi ion in he no he n a ea
signi ican ly di e en om ha o cen al
and sou he n A ane suaq (? = 9.012; d =
2; P = 0.01) (see Table 3)
Only ou o he i y- h ee aged bea s om
A ane suaq we e mo e han 10 yea s old
(Fig. 26), whe eas 28 o he aged bea s om
I oqqo oo mii (N = 122) we e olde han
10 yea s (Fig. 6) (Two-sided Fishe ’s exac
es P = 0.02).
Table 3. The demog aphic composi ion o pola bea kills acco ding o da a om he in e iewed
hun e s (mos kills we e om 1982-89), and he issue sampling p og am (kills om 1988-1996).
Pho o: Aqqalu Rosing-As id
Pola bea pan s and “women kamiks” bleaching
in he sun.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
01234567891011121314151617181920
Age
Numbe
Female N = 25
Male N = 38
A ane suaq
22
The ends in ca ch numbe and he
eliabili y o he ca ch s a is ics
When compa ing he epo ed pola bea
kills om “Pinia neq” wi h “o he in o ma-
ion”, i becomes clea ha no all killed
pola bea s a e epo ed. Unlike he p e i-
ous sys em (“Lis o Game”) “o he in o -
ma ion” is no used o adjus o imp o e
he o icial numbe o kills. This is a se ious
weakness, which can easily gi e misleading
numbe s. This is especially ue when ew
hun e s accoun o mos o he kills, as is
he case in I oqqo oo mii . O he 275 is-
sue samples we collec ed in he municipa-
li y, hal o hem came om only 5 hun e s,
and wo o hose deli e ed 38% o he
samples. Howe e , as he only place in
G eenland, many hun e s in I oqqo oo -
mii illed in “hun ing epo s” a he muni-
cipali y o ice when his became obliga o y
in 1995. In he i s yea , he numbe o
o ms illed in was wice as high as he
numbe o bea s epo ed h ough “Pinia -
neq” bu , in 1997, he o ms accoun ed o
only 80% o he kills epo ed. I is no
unlikely ha he high numbe o epo s in
he i s yea had some hing o do wi h he
ac ha samples o he issue sampling
p og am ( ha ended in 1996) we e deli e-
ed and paid o a he same o ice whe e
he o ms had o be illed in.
Hun e s epo ing o “Pinia neq” ha e o
ill in hei kills o a ious animals in a able
ha lis s all game. Simple e o s like inged
seals epo ed as wal uses o pola bea s
occu . These kinds o e o s a e negligible
o species whe e he annual yield is se e-
al housand, bu a ew seals o bi ds mis-
placed as pola bea s can ha e a g ea im-
pac on he s a is ics. In some cases, di ec
ques ioning o he hun e checks he kills,
bu checking he da a is no a s anda d
p ocedu e and some o e - epo ing is ound
in mos o he species whe e he annual
ha es is low. This is mos likely o occu
in Sou h and Cen al Wes G eenland whe e
mo e han 80 % o he hun e s li e and
whe e he numbe o pola bea kills is low.
Ano he ype o e o occu s because he
hun e does no ha e o epo o “Pinia -
neq” whe e he bea was sho . Mos pola
bea s a e killed ou side Cen al G eenland
and i a hun e om he e shoo s a bea
du ing a isi in No hwes o Eas G een-
land, his kill will be assigned o he muni-
cipali y, in which he li es and hus mispla-
ced. These e o s should be a oided by he
obliga o y hun ing epo s, bu so a his
sys em has only co e ed a low ac ion o
he bea s epo ed h ough “Pinia neq”.
The numbe o pola bea kills epo ed in
Cen al G eenland migh be o e es ima ed
wi h his new epo ing sys em, howe e ,
he end owa d mo e pola bea s caugh
in Wes G eenland since he mid 1980’es is
undoub edly ue. Fo he pe iod 1970-87
he epo ed ca ches only a e aged 2/yea
in Cen al Wes G eenland, which is less
han epo ed h ough he medias he la es
yea s o by he o ms ha o some kills
ha e been illed in a he local o ices since
1995. The in e iewed hun e s om Upe -
na ik also epo ed a ma ked inc ease in
he numbe o pola bea s in he a ea since
mid 1980’s. On he Eas Coas he e is a
high annual a iabili y in he ca ches, bu
he e seems o be no o e all end in he
ca ches since he d op ha occu ed du-
ing he 1920’s.
T ends in he hun ing p ac ice and
he e ec o hun ing es ic ions
The ela i ely ee and in ensi e hun
wi hin he ange o he hun e s can only
be sus ained i pola bea s con inue o im-
mig a e om elsewhe e. The same is ue
o many species o whales, seals and bi ds.
Mos Inui se lemen s a e placed in sub-
a c ic a eas o nea polynias, whe e open
wa e c ea es an impo an win e ing a ea
Discussion
23
o many ma ine mammal species o he
high a c ic and an impo an summe ee-
ding a ea o a numbe o bo eal species.
The p oduc ion om a huge a ea can hus
be ha es ed he e and his a ou able game
condi ion has made pe manen se lemen s
possible o a ela i ely high numbe o
people. Fo many species he a eas will be
a sink ha equi es ne immig a ion om
neighbou ing a eas o keep he hun going.
I is likely ha a con inuous hun du ing
many decades has c ea ed an equilib ium
wi h he su plus p oduc ion o pola bea s
om he No heas G eenland Na ional
Pa k and adjacen a eas on he Eas Coas
and The Ba in Bay and adjacen wa e s
on he Wes Coas .
The popula ion o pola bea s hun ed in
Wes G eenland is also hun ed in Canada,
especially a e he es ablishmen o se e-
al se lemen s along Ba in Island in he
1950’s and 1960’s. I was p obably se e e-
ly o e -ha es ed, especially when he
snowmobile was in oduced in he la e
1960’s (U quha & Schweinsbu g 1984).
A quo a sys em was imposed in 1968 and
he inc eased numbe s o pola bea s caugh
in Wes G eenland in he beginning o he
1980’s (making he ca ches o he same
magni ude as in ea lie days) is p obably
due o he eco e y o he popula ion.
On he Eas Coas , he es ablishmen o
I oqqo oo mii in 1925 did no ampli y
he o al ha es . On he con a y he o al
numbe o pola bea s ca ches om his
popula ion declined. The ew amilies ha
mo ed o I oqqo oo mii killed mo e han
100 pola bea s du ing hei i s yea ,
whe e a e he a e age numbe slowly
d opped o a ound 30-40 pe yea . A he
same ime, he numbe o pola bea ca -
ches d opped d ama ically in bo h Ammas-
salik and Sou hwes G eenland, whe e he
o al annual ha es was mo e han a
hund ed in he beginning o he cen u y.
The o al ha es om he Eas Coas popu-
la ion dec eased o a ound 80/yea and
has now been s able o mo e han 50 yea s.
This new le el o pola bea s in he a ea is
likely o be a consequence o he d ama ic
wa ming and dec ease in he amoun o
ice in he G eenland Sea, which ook place
in he beginning o he p e ious cen u y.
The pola bea hun in G eenland co e s
only a ac ion o he ange o he pola
bea popula ions. On he Wes Coas his
ac ion is only a inny s ip o ice and he
Canadian ca ch on his popula ion, which is
app oxima ely 3 imes la ge is egula ed
by a quo a sys em ha akes in o accoun
he ca ches in Wes G eenland.
The p esen es ic ions on he Eas Coas ,
especially he ban on he use o snowmobi-
les a e likely o limi he ange o he hun-
e s and, he eby, he numbe o bea s hey
can access. The ban on shoo ing mo he s
wi h cubs is also likely o sa e some bea s;
he ban on killing emales du ing he sum-
me is p obably less impo an . This only
conce ns he ew bea s ha ha e su i ed
he sp ing hun in he a ea. These bea s
a e likely o be killed du ing he all any-
way, due o he inc eased numbe o small,
as boa s. These boa s, wi h a s ong hull
and lo s o ho sepowe , can a el h ough
new ice and ha e inc eased he ange o
he hun e s subs an ially du ing he sho
days in all. This has esul ed in an inc ea-
se in he numbe o kills o mos game
du ing his season. A highe ac ion o
bea s a e now caugh in Augus and Sep-
embe , bu he o al numbe o bea s killed
has no inc eased no ha e he boa s in-
c eased he o e all ange o he hun e s,
which is la ges in win e .
The demog aphical composi ion o
he killed bea s
The e a e signi ican ly mo e old bea s (10+
yea s) in he samples om I oqqo oo mii
han in he samples om A ane suaq and
he ac ion o young bea s in Sou hwes
G eenland is also signi ican ly highe han
in I oqqo oo mii . The e a e p obably many
easons o hese di e ences, bu one im-
24
po an ac o migh be he dis ance om
he summe habi a , which is he cen e
o he seasonal pulse o dispe sion. The
bea s ha a e killed in No hwes G een-
land ha e hei summe a ea nea he Eas
Canadian Coas , om whe e a yea ly mi-
g a ion o bea s o and om G eenland
akes place. The bea s ha come o G een-
land om Canada ha e o ac i ely walk
he dis ance and i is likely ha old bea s
p e e a mo e s a iona y li e in mo e s able
and p edic able ice condi ions. Fo he
bea s ha end up in Sou hwes G eenland,
he mig a ion has been no h – sou h di ec-
ed and hese bea s a e also caugh a he
edge o he habi a .
Acknowledgemen s
This pape became a eali y only wi h he
help o E ik Bo n, who ook he ini ia i e
o s a bo h he sampling p og am and
he in e iew su ey, om which many o
he da a o igina e. Thanks o Koos Booms-
ma and Mads Fo chhamme o aluable
commen s o he pape and o Syl ia Ma-
hiasen, who co ec ed my insu icien
English. Finally special hanks o all he
hun e s who pa icipa ed in he sampling
p og am o wi h g ea hospi ali y sha ed
hei knowledge abou he pola bea and
he pola bea hun du ing he in e iew
su ey.
25
Anon., 1954-87.
Summa ies o “Lis s o Game” un il 1984 by he
Danish minis y o G eenland, a e 1985 by a
minis y unde he Home Rule Go e nmen .
Anon., 1973.
G ønland 1971-72. Å sbe e ning uda bejde a
Minis e ie o G ønland.
Anon., 1994.
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