Summary

Description

The recorded harvest between 25 April and 8 June in Gambell was 1499 walruses. There were 373 adult males, 528 adult females, 405 calves, and 193 of unknown sex. Adult refers to animals older than calves yet not necessarily sexually mature. This was the largest harvest recorded in Gambell in the last 5 years and perhaps in recent history. Several factors influenced the high harvest. The last two of three strikes on bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus was lost 26 April and walrus hunting commenced 29 April. Although this was 2 weeks earlier than the walrus hunt in 1983 Sease 1983, it was a week or more later than the bunts in 1982 Malloy 1982 and 1981 Lourie 1981. However, not catching a whale certainly motivated the hunters to bring in more walrus meat. There were 26 days during the 1984 monitoring period when walrus were captured as opposed to 20 days in 1983 and 19 days in 1982. Ice and wind conditions were such that hunters had greater access to walrus than the previous three years. During the 1982 and 1983 monitoring periods, there were only two days each year on which more than 100 walrus were retrieved. During the 1984 monitoring session, the catch exceeded 100 walrus on six days Table 2. The hunters were reporting large herds and good ice conditions. Small amounts of ice persisted until 1 June which was the last day 15 or more walrus were retrieved. The shore ice on the north beach held fast until 2 June. It seemed that thick ice capable of supporting walrus persisted a week longer in 1984 than the previous 3 seasons. Proportionately more females and calves were caught during the 1984 monitoring session than during 1981 chisquare 16.34, 2 df or during 1983 chisquare 23.48, 2 df, Table 3. More male walrus were taken than expected during the 1984 season when compared to 1982 chisquare 8.23, 2 df. The distribution of hunting days relative to the walrus migration probably explains the differences in sex composition between years. There were fewer hunting days at the end of May and the beginning of June during 1982 than 1983 or 1984 Malloy 1982, Sease 1983. This year there were more hunting days in April and early May than during 1983. Female and calf walrus are the first to migrate and tend to stay with thicker ice Fay 1982. Male walrus migrate later and were taken in greater numbers by Gambell hunters during the end of May and beginning of June. Female and calf walrus are preferred for their meat in Gambell and are taken in large numbers early in the hunting season.