Hunting Ancient Walrus Genomes: Uncovering the hidden past of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)

Stomach contents of Atlantic walrus, Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus, taken by Inuit hunters in northern Foxe Basin in July 1987 and 1988 (n = 105) and September 1988 (n = 2) were examined. In July, 20 of 94 stomachs from immature and adult walrus contained > 5 g of food representing 17 prey taxa, including bivalves, gastropods, holothurians, polychaetes, and brachiopods. The bivalve Mya truncata contributed 81.4% of the total gross energy in the diet, with the bivalve Hiatella arctica, holothurians, and the polychaete Nereis sp. contributing 7.5, 3.5, and 2.8%, respectively. The diets of male and female walrus were similar except that females received a significantly (P < 0.05) greater percentage of gross energy in their diet from H. arctica than did males. Walrus less than 3 years old (n = 11) consumed mostly milk, although some benthic invertebrates were eaten. Analysis of the contents of two stomachs collected in September suggested that walrus may feed more intensively in the fall. Mya truncata was again the predominant prey, contributing 59.9% of total gross energy, with the bivalve Serripes groenlandicus (37.9%) replacing H. arctica (0.3%) as the second most important prey.

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PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE IMMOBILIZATION OF MALE ATLANTIC WALRUSES (ODOBENUS ROSMARUS ROSMARUS) WITH TELAZOLR

Marine Mammal Science ◽

10.1111/j.1748-7692.1988.tb00196.x ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 163-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ian Stirling ◽

Becky Sjare

Keyword(s):

Odobenus Rosmarus ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus

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Management of Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in the arctic Atlantic

NAMMCO Scientific Publications ◽

10.7557/3.2855 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 315 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Øystein Wiig ◽

Erik W Born ◽

Robert EA Stewart

Keyword(s):

Environmental Protection ◽

Large Scale ◽

Anthropogenic Impacts ◽

Current Control ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

The Arctic ◽

Arctic Canada ◽

Quota System ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus

We review the management of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) past and present in the four range states—Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia—which have permanent populations of Atlantic walruses. Populations in all four countries have been depleted, although the extent of depletion is not well known. Inuit in Arctic Canada and Greenland hunt Atlantic walruses for subsistence while they have been protected at Svalbard (Norway) since 1952 and in the western Russian Arctic since 1956. Since the second half of the 20th Century Canada and Greenland have increased protection of their walrus. Generally the number of walruses landed in Canada is governed by the number of hunters and/or people in the settlement and not by stock-specific quotas. Although quotas have been set in few communities, it is not known if they are adequate to prevent overhunting. A quota system for walrus hunting in Greenland began in 2006. The current control system is largely effective in ensuring the quotas are applied and that reporting is correct. Greenland currently sets quotas based on recommendations from scientific assessments using recent population estimates to allow population growth from a depleted population. A challenge with respect to managing walrus hunting remains the variable and sometimes high rates of lost animals. Since the 1960s changes in socio-economics in hunting areas of Arctic Canada and Greenland (and the use of snowmobiles instead of dog sleds in Canada) have led to a general decrease in interest in hunting of walruses and reduced harvest on walrus stocks in these countries. Although there is an active ongoing cooperation between Canada and Greenland scientists regarding assessments of shared populations of walruses currently there is no formal agreement between the two range states on co-management of shared stocks. Protection of walrus from other anthropogenic impacts generally focusses on large-scale industrial activity. The level of protection afforded to walrus habitat in many areas depends entirely on the rigor with which the Environmental Impact Assessments are conducted. Basic information on walrus such as numbers and stock discreteness is often lacking and sufficient lead-time is required to collect baseline data. Moreover, although most environmental protection legislation considers ‘cumulative impacts’, practical application remains problematic. The effectiveness of environmental protection regulations depends on industry compliance and the management authorities’ ability to enforce compliance. Because walrus are found in remote locations, enforcement remains a challenge. Increased human activity allowed by the current change in distribution and quality of arctic sea ice poses new threats to walrus if not well regulated. International agreements have varying importance for management within and among member states. Regulations governing international trade serve to identify illegally obtained products and to encourage range states to have a sustainable quota system. International cooperation in information sharing has had clear benefits for management of walruses in the past. The maintenance and expansion of these international efforts will improve the management of Atlantic walruses in the future.

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Indications of two genetically different subpopulations of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in west and northwest Greenland

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-78-11-1999 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

pp. 1999-2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L.W. Andersen ◽

E.W. Born

Keyword(s):

Odobenus Rosmarus ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus

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Integrated study of benthic foraging resources for Atlantic walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus ) in the Pechora Sea, south‐eastern Barents Sea

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

10.1002/aqc.3418 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna Gebruk ◽

Polina Mikhaylyukova ◽

Maria Mardashova ◽

Varvara Semenova ◽

Lea‐Anne Henry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Barents Sea ◽

South Eastern ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus ◽

Integrated Study ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus ◽

Atlantic Walrus

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Integrating cultural and biological perspectives on long-term human-walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) interactions across the North Atlantic

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1017/qua.2018.150 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Xénia Keighley ◽

Morten Tange Olsen ◽

Peter Jordan

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Historical Ecology ◽

Faunal Remains ◽

Population Modelling ◽

The North ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus ◽

Biological Studies ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Odobenus Rosmarus Rosmarus

AbstractThe hunting of marine mammals as a source of subsistence, trade, and commercial revenue has formed an important part of human cultures across the North Atlantic. One important prey species has been the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), sought after for meat, skin, blubber, ivory, and bone. Unfortunately, biological studies of current walrus populations and studies across the humanities and social sciences into past use and hunting of walruses, have been poorly integrated. Disciplinary boundaries have left a gap in understanding the reciprocal effects of human-walrus interactions. Emerging interdisciplinary methods offer new opportunities to write the historical ecology of Atlantic walruses. The integration of methods such as ancient DNA, isotopes, past population modelling, zooarchaeological assemblages, and ethnographic interviews can now be used to answer previously intractable questions. For example, how has walrus hunting shaped and been influenced by changes in human settlement and trade, what have been the cumulative impacts on walrus populations, the extent of anthropogenic selective pressures or the effect of changing hunting regimes on particular populations of walruses? New, collaborative research approaches applied to the wealth of Arctic archaeological faunal remains already housed in museum collections offer a unique chance to explore the past dynamics of human-animal interactions.

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