[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 116 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28946-28952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14346]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-FHC-2009-N0092; 71490-1351-0000-M2-FY09]


Marine Mammal Protection Act; Stock Assessment Report

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft revised marine mammal stock 
assessment reports for the Pacific walrus stock and two stocks of polar 
bears; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 
as amended (MMPA), and its implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service (Service), have developed draft revised marine 
mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus 
rosmarus divergens) stock and for each of the two polar bear (Ursus 
maritimus) stocks in Alaska: The southern Beaufort Sea polar bear stock 
and the Chukchi/Bering seas polar bear stock. These three SARs are 
available for public review and comment.

DATES: We must receive comments by September 16, 2009.

ADDRESSES: To obtain the SARs for the Pacific walrus or either polar 
bear stock, and to submit comments, see Document Availability and 
Public Comment, respectively, under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosa Meehan, Marine Mammals Management 
Office, (800) 362-5148 (telephone) or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c6e2b43717171437f7371717972685c7a6b6f327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d3a1e48cbebebe8cb0bcbebeb6bda793b5a4a0fdb4bca5">[email protected]</span></a> (e-
mail).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 28947]]

Background

    Under the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and its implementing 
regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 18, 
we regulate the taking, possession, transportation, purchasing, 
selling, offering for sale, exporting, and importing of marine mammals. 
One of the MMPA's goals is to ensure that stocks of marine mammals 
occurring in waters under U.S. jurisdiction do not experience a level 
of human-caused mortality and serious injury that is likely to cause 
the stock to be reduced below its optimum sustainable population level 
(OSP). OSP is defined as ``the number of animals which will result in 
the maximum productivity of the population or the species, keeping in 
mind the carrying capacity of the habitat and the health of the 
ecosystem of which they form a constituent element.''
    To help accomplish the goal of maintaining marine mammal stocks at 
their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA requires us and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) to prepare a SAR for each marine mammal stock 
that occurs in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. A SAR must be based on 
the best scientific information available; therefore, we prepare it in 
consultation with established regional scientific review groups. Each 
SAR must include: (1) A description of the stock and its geographic 
range; (2) a minimum population estimate, maximum net productivity 
rate, and current population trend; (3) an estimate of human-caused 
mortality and serious injury; (4) a description of commercial fishery 
interactions; (5) a categorization of the status of the stock; and (6) 
an estimate of the potential biological removal (PBR) level. The PBR is 
defined as ``the maximum number of animals, not including natural 
mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock while 
allowing that stock to reach or maintain its OSP.'' The PBR is the 
product of the minimum population estimate of the stock 
(N<INF>min</INF>); one-half the maximum theoretical or estimated net 
productivity rate of the stock at a small population size 
(R<INF>max</INF>); and a recovery factor (F<INF>r</INF>) of between 0.1 
and 1.0, which is intended to compensate for uncertainty and unknown 
estimation errors.
    Section 117 of the MMPA also requires us and NMFS to review the 
SARs (a) at least annually for stocks that are specified as strategic 
stocks, (b) at least annually for stocks for which significant new 
information is available, and (c) at least once every 3 years for all 
other stocks.
    A strategic stock is defined in the MMPA as a marine mammal stock 
(a) for which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the 
PBR; (b) which, based on the best available scientific information, is 
declining and is likely to be listed as a threatened species under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 
ESA), within the foreseeable future; or (c) which is listed as a 
threatened or endangered species under the ESA, or is designated as 
depleted under the MMPA.
    The following table summarizes the information we are now making 
available in the draft revised SARs for the Pacific walrus, the 
southern Beaufort Sea polar bear, and the Chukchi/Bering Seas polar 
bear stocks, listing each stock's N<INF>min</INF>, R<INF>max</INF>, 
F<INF>r</INF>, PBR, annual estimated human-caused mortality and serious 
injury, and status. After consideration of any public comments we 
receive, we will revise any or all of these SARs, as appropriate. We 
will publish a notice of availability and summary for each final SAR, 
including responses to comments we received.

  Table 1--Summary: Draft Revised Stock Assessment Reports for the Pacific Walrus, Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear, and Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                       Annual estimated average
                Stock                       Nmin            Rmax             Fr              PBR        human-caused mortality         Stock status
                                                                                                          and serious injury
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific Walrus.......................          15,164            0.08             1.0             607  4,963-5,460.............  Strategic.
Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear.....           1,397          0.0603             0.5              22  33 (Alaska).............  Strategic.
                                                                                                       21 (Canada).............
Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear.......           2,000          0.0603             0.5              30  37 (Alaska).............  Strategic.
                                                                                                       --(Russia)..............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Document Availability

Draft Revised SARs for Pacific Walrus, Southern Beaufort Sea Polar 
Bear, and Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear

    You may obtain copies by any one of the following methods:
    <bullet> Internet: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/walrus/reports.htm (for the walrus stock) and http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/reports.htm (for both polar bear stocks).
    <bullet> Write to or visit (during normal business hours from 8 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) the Chief, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management Office, 1011 East Tudor 
Road, Anchorage, AK 99503; telephone: (800) 362-3800.

Public Comment

Draft Revised SARs for Pacific Walrus, Southern Beaufort Sea Polar 
Bear, and Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear

    You may submit a written comment by any one of the following 
methods:
    <bullet> E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#285a1f77454545774b4745454d465c684e5f5b064f475e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bbc98ce4d6d6d6e4d8d4d6d6ded5cffbddccc895dcd4cd">[email protected]</span></a>.
    <bullet> Mail or hand-delivery: Chief, Marine Mammals Management 
Office (see address above).
    <bullet> Fax: (907) 786-3816.

References

    In accordance with the MMPA, we include in this notice a list of 
the information sources and public reports upon which we based the 
SARs.

Pacific Walrus

    Burn, D.M., M.A. Webber, and M.S. Udevitz. 2006. Application of 
airborne thermal imagery to surveys of Pacific walrus. Wildlife 
Society Bulletin 34(1):51-58.
    Chapskii, K.K. 1936. The walrus of the Kara Sea. Results of an 
investigation of the life history, geographical distribution, and 
stock of walruses in the Kara Sea. Transactions of the Arctic 
Institute 67:1-124.
    Chivers, S.J. 1999. Biological indices for monitoring population 
status of walrus evaluated with an individual-based model. Pages 
239-247 In Garner, G.W., S.C. Amstrup, J.L. Laake, B.F.J. Manly, 
L.L. McDonald, and D.G. Robertson (eds.), Marine Mammal Survey and 
Assessment Methods. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 287 pp.
    DeMaster, D.P. 1984. An analysis of a hypothetical population of 
walruses. Pages 77-80 In F.H. Fay and G.A. Fedoseev (eds.), Soviet-
American Cooperative Research on

[[Page 28948]]

Marine Mammals, vol. 1, Pinnipeds. NOAA Technical Report, NMFS 12, 
104 pp.
    Estes, J.A., and J.R. Gilbert. 1978. Evaluation of an aerial 
survey of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Journal of 
the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 35:1130-1140.
    Estes, J.A., and V.N. Gol'tsev. 1984. Abundance and distribution 
of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens): Results of the 
first Soviet-American joint aerial survey, autumn 1975. Pages 67-76 
In F.H. Fay and G.A. Fedoseev (eds.), Soviet-American Cooperative 
Research on Marine Mammals, vol. 1, Pinnipeds. NOAA Technical 
Report, NMFS 12, 104 pp.
    Fay, F.H. 1982. Ecology and Biology of the Pacific Walrus 
(Odobenus rosmarus divergens). North American Fauna 74. U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC., 279 pp.
    Fay, F.H., and J.J. Burns. 1988. Maximal feeding depth of 
walruses. Arctic 41(3):239-240.
    Fay, F.H., B.P. Kelly, P.H. Gehnrich, J.L. Sease, and A.A. 
Hoover. 1984. Modern populations, migrations, demography, trophics, 
and historical status of the Pacific walrus. Final Report R.U. 
<greek-i>611. NOAA Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment 
Program, Anchorage, AK., 142 pp.
    Fay, F.H., B.P. Kelly, and J.L. Sease. 1989. Managing the 
exploitation of Pacific walruses: a tragedy of delayed response and 
poor communication. Marine Mammal Science 5:1-16.
    Fay, F.H., J.J. Burns, S.W. Stoker, and J.S. Grundy. 1994. The 
struck-and-lost factor in Alaskan walrus harvests. Arctic 47(4):368-
373.
    Fay, F.H., L.L. Eberhardt, B.P. Kelly, J.J. Burns, and L.T. 
Quakenbush. 1997. Status of the Pacific walrus Population, 1950-
1989. Marine Mammal Science 13(4):537-565.
    Fedoseev, G.A. 1984. Present status of the population of 
walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) in the eastern Arctic and Bering Sea. 
Pages 73-85 In V.E. Rodin, A.S. Perlov, A.A. Berzin, G.M. Gavrilov, 
A.I. Shevchenko, N.S. Fadeev, and E.B. Kucheriavenko (eds.), Marine 
Mammals of the Far East. TINRO, Vladivostok.
    Fedoseev, G.A., and V.N. Gol'tsev. 1969. Age-sex structure and 
reproductive capacity of the Pacific walrus population. Zoological 
Journal 48:407-413.
    Fedoseev, G.A., and E.V. Razlivalov. 1986. The distribution and 
abundance of walruses in the eastern Arctic and Bering Sea in autumn 
1985. VNIRO, Magadan Branch. Mimeo report, 7 pp.
    Garlich-Miller, J., and C.V. Jay. 2000. Proceedings of a 
workshop concerning walrus survey methods. USFWS R7/MMM Technical 
Report 00-2, 92 pp.
    Gilbert, J.R. 1986. Aerial survey of Pacific walrus in the 
Chukchi Sea, 1985. Mimeo report, 43 pp.
    Gilbert, J.R. 1989a. Aerial census of Pacific walruses in the 
Chukchi Sea, 1985. Marine Mammal Science 5(1):17-28.
    Gilbert, J.R. 1989b. Errata: Correction to the variance of 
products, estimates of Pacific walrus populations. Marine Mammal 
Science 5(4):411-412.
    Gilbert, J.R. 1999. Review of previous Pacific walrus surveys to 
develop improved survey designs. Pages 75-84 In Garner, G.W., S.C. 
Amstrup, J.L. Laake, B.F.J. Manly, L.L. McDonald, and D.G. Robertson 
(eds.), Marine Mammal Survey and Assessment Methods. A. A. Balkema, 
Rotterdam, 287 pp.
    Gilbert, J.R., G.A. Fedoseev, D. Seagars, E. Razlivalov, and A. 
LaChugin. 1992. Aerial census of Pacific walrus, 1990. USFWS R7/MMM 
Technical Report 92-1, 33 pp.
    Hills, S., and J.R. Gilbert. 1994. Detecting Pacific walrus 
population trends with aerial survey--a review. Transactions North 
American Wildlife and Natural Resource Conference.
    Jay, C.V., P.M. Outridge, and J.L. Garlich-Miller. 2008. 
Indication of two Pacific walrus stocks from whole tooth elemental 
analysis. Polar Biology 31:933-943.
    Johnson, A., J. Burns, W. Dusenberry, and R. Jones. 1982. Aerial 
survey of Pacific walrus, 1980. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Anchorage, AK. Mimeo report, 32 pp.
    Kavry, V.I., A.N. Boltunov, and V.V. Nikiforov. 2008. New 
coastal haulouts of walruses (Odobenus rosmarus)--response to the 
climate changes. Pages 248-251, In Collection of Scientific Papers 
from the Marine Mammals of the Holarctic V conference, Odessa, 
Ukraine, 14-18 October 2008.
    Kochnev, A.A. Personal Communication. Head of Laboratory of 
Marine Mammals Study, ChukotTINRO, Pacific Research Institute of 
Fisheries and Oceanography, P.O. Box 29, Anadyr, Chukotka, 689000, 
Russia.
    Kochnev, A.A., N.V. Kryukova, A.A. Pereverzev, and D.I. Ivanov. 
2008. Coastal haulouts of the Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus 
divergens) in Anadyr Gulf (Bering Sea), 2007. Pages 267-272 In 
Collection of Scientific Papers from the Marine Mammals of the 
Holarctic V conference, Odessa, Ukraine, 14-18 October 2008.
    Krylov, V.I. 1965. Determination of age, rate of growth, and 
analysis of the age structure of the catch of the Pacific walrus. 
Pages 210-211 In E.N. Pavlovskii, B.A. Zenkovich, S.E. Kleinenber, 
and K.K. Chapskii (eds.), Morskie Mlekopitaiushchie. Nauka, Moscow.
    Krylov, V.I. 1968. On the present status of stocks of the 
Pacific walrus and prospects of their rational exploitation. Pages 
189-204 In V.A. Arsen'ev and K.I. Panin (eds.), Lastonogie Severnoi 
Chasti Tikhogo Okeana. Pischevaya Promyshlennost', Moscow.
    Mansfield, A.W. 1959. The walrus in the Canadian Arctic. 
Fisheries Research Board Canada, Circular 2, 13 pp.
    Maslanik, J.A., C. Fowler, J. Stroeve, S. Drobot, J. Zwally, D. 
Yi, & W. Emery. 2007. A younger, thinner Arctic ice cover: Increased 
potential for rapid, extensive sea-ice loss. Geophysical Research 
Letters 34, L24501.
    Meier, W., J. Stroeve, and F. Fetterer. 2007. Whither Arctic sea 
ice? A clear signal of decline regionally, seasonally and extending 
beyond the satellite record. Annals of Glaciology 46:428-434.
    Overland, J.E., and M. Wang. 2007. Future regional Arctic sea 
ice declines. Geophysical Research Letters 34:L17705, doi: 
17710.11029/12007GL03808.
    Overpeck, J.T., M. Sturm, J.A. Francis, D.K. Perovich, M.C. 
Serreze, R. Benner, E.C. Carmack, F.S. Chapin III, S.C. Gerlach, 
L.C. Hamilton, L.D. Hinzman, M. Holland, H.P. Huntington, J.R. Key, 
A.H. Lloyd, G.M. MacDonald, J. McFadden, D. Noone, T.D. Prowse, P. 
Schlosser, and C. V[ouml]r[ouml]smarty. 2005. Arctic system on 
trajectory to new, seasonally ice-free state. EOS Transactions 
86(34):309-316.
    Ovsyanikov, N.G., I.E. Menyushina, and A.V. Bezrukov. 2008. 
Unusual Pacific walrus mortality at Wrangel Island in 2007. Pages 
413-416 In Collection of Scientific Papers from the Marine Mammals 
of the Holarctic V conference, Odessa, Ukraine, 14-18 October 2008.
    Scribner, K.T., S. Hills, S.R. Fain, and M.A. Cronin. 1997. 
Population genetics studies of the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus): a 
summary and interpretation of results and research needs. In A.E. 
Dizon, S.J. Chivers, and W.F. Perrin (eds.), Molecular Genetics of 
Marine Mammals. Marine Mammal Science, Special publication 3:173-
184.
    Sease, J.L. 1986. Historical status and population dynamics of 
the Pacific walrus. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. Thesis, 213 pp.
    Sease, J.L., and D.G. Chapman. 1988. Pacific walrus (Odobenus 
rosmarus divergens). Pages 17-38 In J.W. Lentfer (eds.), Selected 
Marine Mammals of Alaska: species accounts with research and 
management recommendations. Marine Mammal Commission, Washington, 
DC. NTIS PB88-178462.
    Speckman, S.G., V. Chernook, D.M. Burn, M.S. Udevitz, A. 
Kochnev, A. Vasilev, R.B. Benter, and A. Lisovsky. 2009. Range-wide 
survey of Pacific walruses in 2006: Estimated number of walruses on 
sea ice. Progress Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. 
Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska. 55 pp.
    Stroeve, J., M.M. Holland, W. Meier, T. Scambos, and M. Serreze. 
2007. Arctic sea ice decline: Faster than forecast. Geophysical 
Research Letters 34.
    Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. Gearheard, M.M. Holland, 
J. Maslanik, W. Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic sea ice extent 
plummets in 2007. EOS Transactions, AGU 89:13-20.
    Udevitz, M.S., J.R. Gilbert, and G.A. Fedoseev. 2001. Comparison 
of method used to estimate numbers of walruses on sea ice. Marine 
Mammal Science 17:601-616.
    Udevitz, M.S., D.M. Burn, and M.A. Webber. 2008. Estimation of 
walrus populations on sea ice with infrared imagery and aerial 
photography. Marine Mammal Science 24(1):57-70.
    Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. Guidelines for assessing 
marine mammal stocks: report of the GAMMS workshop April 3-5, 1996, 
Seattle, Washington. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-OPR-
12, 93 pp.

Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear

    Amstrup, S.C. 1995. Movements, distribution, and population 
dynamics of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. PhD Dissertation. 
University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, 299 pp.
    Amstrup, S.C., 2000. Polar Bear. In The Natural History of an 
Oil Field: Development and Biota. Edited by J.C. Truett and S.R.

[[Page 28949]]

Johnson. Academic Press, Inc., New York, New York, USA pp. 133-157.
    Amstrup, S.C. 2003. Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). Pages 587-610 
in Feldhammer, G.A., B.C. Thompson, and J.A. Chapman, eds., Wild 
Mammals of North America--Biology, Management, and Conservation. 
John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland. pp. 587-610.
    Amstrup, S.C., and D.P. DeMaster. 1988. Polar bear, Ursus 
maritimus. Pages 39-45 in J.W. Lentfer, ed., Selected Marine Mammals 
of Alaska: Species Accounts with Research and Management 
Recommendations. Marine Mammal Commission, Washington, DC.
    Amstrup, S., and C. Gardner. 1994. Polar bear maternity denning 
in the Beaufort Sea. Journal of Wildlife Management 58(1):1-10.
    Amstrup, S.C., I. Stirling, and J.W. Lentfer. 1986. Past and 
present status of polar bears in Alaska. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 
14:241-254.
    Amstrup, S.C., G. Durner, I. Stirling, N.J. Lunn, and F. 
Messier. 2000. Movements and distribution of polar bears in the 
Beaufort Sea. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78:948-966.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and 
G.W. Garner. 2001a. Comparing movement patterns of satellite-tagged 
male and female polar bears. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:2147-
2158.
    Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and I. Stirling. 2001b. Polar 
bears in the Beaufort Sea: A 30-year mark-recapture case history. 
Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, 
Vol. 6(2): 221-234.
    Amstrup, S.C., G. M. Durner, A. S. Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. 
Weston-York. 2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. in N. 
Lunn, E. W. Born, and S. Schliebe (eds.), Proceedings of the 
Thirteenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist 
Group. 23-28 June, 2001, Nuuk, Greenland. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 
and Cambridge, UK. vii + 153 pp.
    Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and G. Durner. 2004. Using 
satellite radiotelemetry data to delineate and manage wildlife 
populations. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 32(3):661-679.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, I. Stirling, and T.L. McDonald. 
2005. Allocating harvests among polar bear stocks in the Beaufort 
Sea. Arctic. 58:247-259.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. McDonald, and W.R. Johnson. 
2006. Estimating potential effects of hypothetical oil spills on 
polar bears. Unpublished Report. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska 
Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska. 56 pp.
    Bethke, R., M. Taylor, S. Amstrup, and F. Messier. 1996. 
Population delineation of polar bears using satellite collar data. 
Ecological Applications 6(1):311-317.
    Brower, C. D., A. Carpenter, M. Branigan, W. Calvert, T. Evans, 
A. Fischbach, J. Nagy, S. Schliebe, and I. Stirling. 2002. The polar 
bear management agreement for the southern Beaufort Sea: An 
evaluation of the first ten years of a unique conservation 
agreement. Submitted to: Arctic 56:362-372.
    Comiso, J.C. 2003. Warming trends in the Arctic from clear sky 
satellite observations. Journal of Climate 16:3498-3510.
    Comiso, J.C. 2006. Arctic warming signals from satellite 
observations, Weather 61(3):70-76.
    Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, G.W. Garner, and E.R. Vyse. 1991. 
Interspecific and intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in North 
American bears (Ursus). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 69:12:2985-
2992.
    Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, and K.T. Scribner. 2006. 
Microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA variation in polar bears 
(Ursus maritimus) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Alaska. Canadian 
Journal of Zoology 84:655-660.
    DeMaster, D.P., and I. Stirling. 1981. Ursus maritimus. 
Mammalian Species:1-7.
    Dizon, A.E., C. Lockyer, W.F. Perrin, D.P. DeMaster, and J. 
Sisson. 1992. Rethinking the stock concept: a phylogeographic 
approach. Conservation Biology. 6:24-36.
    Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, and K.J. Ambrosius. 2001. Remote 
identification of polar bear maternal den habitat in Northern 
Alaska. Arctic 54(2):115-121.
    Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, R. Nielson, and T. McDonald. 2004. 
The use of sea ice habitat by female polar bears in the Beaufort 
Sea. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, 
Alaska. OCS study, MMS 2004-014. 41 pp.
    Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, and S.C. Amstrup. 
2006a. A model for autumn pelagic distribution of adult female polar 
bears in the Chukchi Sea, 1987-1994. USGS Science Center, Anchorage, 
Alaska. Contract Completion Report 70181-5-N240. 67 pp.
    Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, and K.J. Ambrosius. 2006b. Polar 
bear maternal den habitat in the Arctic national Wildlife refuge, 
Alaska. Arctic 59(1):31-36.
    Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, S.C. Amstrup, T.L. 
McDonald, I. Stirling, M. Mauritzen, E.W. Born, O. Wiig, E. 
DeWeaver, M.C. Serreze, S.E. Belikov, M.M. Holland, J. Maslanik, J. 
Aars, D.C. Bailey, and A.E. Derocher. 2009. Predicting 21st century 
polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models. 
Ecological Monographs 79(1): 25-58.
    Evans, T. J. 2004a. Concentrations of selected essential and 
non-essential elements in adult male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 
from Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Technical Report. MMM 
04-02. 68pp.
    Evans, T. J. 2004b. PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in adult 
male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Alaska. U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Technical Report. MMM 04-01. 61pp.
    Fischbach, A.S., S.C. Amstrup, and D.C. Douglas. 2007. Landward 
and eastward shift of Alaskan polar bear denning associated with 
recent sea ice changes. Polar Biology 30:1395-1405: doi.1007/s00300-
007-0300-4.
    Fowler, C., W.J. Emery, and J. Maslanik. 2004. Satellite-derived 
evolution of Arctic sea ice age: October 1978 to March 2003. 
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE, Volume 1, Issue 2, 
April 2004 pp.71-74.
    Garner, G.W., S.T. Knick, and D.C. Douglas. 1990. Seasonal 
movements of adult female polar bears in the Bering and Chukchi 
seas. International Conference on Bear Research and Management 
8:219-226.
    Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, D.S. Robson, D.P. Young Jr., and 
S.M. Arthur. 1992. Literature review: population estimation 
methodologies applicable to the estimation of abundance of polar 
bears. Internal Report, U.S.FWS. 102pp.
    Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, S.M. Arthur, and T.L. Olson. 1994. 
Operating procedures: Pilot polar bear survey Beaufort Sea: 1994. 
Internal Report, U.S.FWS, 39 pp.
    Harington, C.R. 1968. Denning habits of the polar bear (Ursus 
maritimus) Phipps. Canadian Wildlife Service Report, Series 5. 33 
pp.
    Holland, M., C.M. Bitz, and B. Tremblay. 2006. Future abrupt 
reductions in summer Arctic sea ice. Geophysical Research Letters 33 
L25503: doi 10.1029/200661028024: 1-5.
    Hunter, C.M., H. Caswell, M.C. Runge, E.V. Regehr, S.C. Amstrup, 
and I. Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea II: 
Demography and population growth in relation to sea ice conditions. 
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Administrative 
Report. 46 pp.
    Kannan, K., S.H. Yun, and T.J. Evans. 2005. Chlorinated, 
brominated, and perfluorinated contaminants in livers of polar bears 
from Alaska. Environmental Science and Technology. 39:9057-9063.
    Kannan, K., T. Agusa, T.J. Evans, and S. Tanabe. 2007. Trace 
element concentrations in livers of polar bears from tow population 
in northern and western Alaska. Archives of Environmental 
Contaminants and Toxicology 53:473-482.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1974. Discreteness of Alaskan polar bear 
populations. Proceedings of the International Congress of Game 
Biologists 11:323-329.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1976. Environmental contaminants and parasites in 
polar bears. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Pittman-Robertson 
Project Report. W-17-4 and W-17-5. 22 pp.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1983. Alaskan polar bear movements from mark and 
recovery. Arctic 36:282-288.
    Lentfer, J.W., R.J. Hensel, J.R. Gilbert, and F.E. Sorensen. 
1980. Population characteristics of Alaskan polar bears. 
International Conference on Bear Research and Management 3: 109-115.
    Lentfer, J.W., and W.A. Galster. 1987. Mercury in polar bears 
from Alaska. J. Wildlife Diseases 23:338-341.
    Lindsay, R.W., and J. Zhang. 2005. The thinning of the Arctic 
sea ice, 1988-2003: have we passed a tipping point? J. Climate 18: 
4879-4894.
    Lunn, N.J., M. Branigan, L. Carpenter, K. Chaulk, B. Doidge, J. 
Galipeau, D. Hedman, M. Huot, R. Maraj, M. Obbard, R. Otto, I. 
Stirling, M. Taylor, and S. Woodley. 2005. Polar bear management in 
Canada 2001-2004. Pages 101-116 in Jon Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. 
Derocher (eds). Proceedings of the 14th working meeting of the IUCN/
SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, June 2005, Seattle, Washington, 
U.S.A. 22pp.
    Manning, T.H. 1971. Geographical variation in the polar bear 
Ursus maritimus Phipps. Canadian Wildlife Service Report Series No. 
13. 27 pp.
    Minerals Management Service (MMS). 2004. Proposed oil and gas 
lease sale 195, Beaufort Sea Planning Area Environmental Assessment. 
U.S. Department of the Interior,

[[Page 28950]]

MMS, Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 101 pp. + Appendices.
    Muir, D.C.G., S. Backus, A.E. Derocher, R. Dietz, T.J. Evans, 
G.W. Gabrielsen, J. Nagy, R.J. Norstrom, C. Sonne, I. Stirling, M.K. 
Taylor, and R.J. Letcher. 2006. Brominated flame retardants in polar 
bears (Ursus maritimus) from Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, East 
Greenland and Svalbard. Environmental Science and Technology 
40(2):449-455.
    Nageak, B.P., C.D.N. Brower, and S.L. Schliebe. 1991. Polar bear 
management in the southern Beaufort Sea: An Agreement between the 
Inuvialuit Game Council and the North Slope Borough Fish and Game 
Committee. In Transactions of North American Wildlife and Natural 
Resources Conference. 56:337-343.
    Paetkau, D., S.C. Amstrup, E.W. Born, W. Calvert, A.E. Derocher, 
G.W. Garner, F. Messier, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, O. Wiig, and C. 
Strobeck. 1999. Genetic Structure of the world's polar bear 
populations. Molecular Ecology. 8:1571-1584.
    Parkinson, C.L., D.J. Cavalieri, P. Gloersen, H.J. Zwally, and 
J.C. Comiso. 1999. Arctic sea ice extents, areas, and trends, 1978-
1996. Journal of Geophysical Research 104(C9):20837-20856.
    Prestrud, P., and I. Stirling. 1994. The international polar 
bear agreement and the current status of polar bear conservation. 
Aquatic Mammals 20:113-124.
    Regehr, E.V., S.C. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2006. Polar bear 
population status in the southern Beaufort Sea. U.S. Geological 
Survey Open File Report 2006-1337. 20 pp.
    Regehr, E.V., C.M. Hunter, H. Caswell, S.C. Amstrup, and I. 
Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea I: Survival 
and breeding in relation to sea ice conditions, 2001-2006. U.S. 
Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Administrative Report. 45 
pp.
    Rode, K.D., S.C. Amstrup, and E.V. Regehr. 2007. Polar Bears in 
the southern Beaufort Sea III: stature, mass, and cub recruitment in 
relationship to time and sea ice extent between 1982 and 2006. U.S. 
Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report, 
Reston, Virginia. 28 pp.
    Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. 1999. Thinning of the 
Arctic sea-ice cover, Geophysical Research Letters 26: 3469-3472.
    Rush, S.A., K. Borga, R. Dietz, E.W. Born, C. Sonne, T. Evans, 
D.C.G. Muir, R.L. Letcher, R.J. Norstrom, and A.T. Fisk. 2008. 
Geographic Distribution of selected elements in the livers of polar 
bears from Greenland, Canada, and the United States. Environmental 
Pollution 153 (3): 618-626.
    Schliebe, S., K.D. Rode, J.S. Gleason, J. Wilder, K. Proffitt, 
T.J. Evans, and S. Miller. 2008. Effects of sea ice extent and food 
availability on spatial and temporal distribution of polar bears 
during the fall open-water period in the Southern Beaufort Sea. 
Polar Biology. 12 pp.
    Schliebe, S.L., S.C. Amstrup, and G.W. Garner. 1995. The status 
of polar bear in Alaska, 1993. In O. Wiig, G.W. Garner (eds.), 
Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar 
Bear Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK. 
v + 192 pp.
    Scribner, K.T., G.W. Garner, S.C. Amstrup, and M.A. Cronin. 
1997. Population genetic studies of the polar bear (Ursus 
maritimus): a summary of available data and interpretation of 
results. pp. 185-196, In Dizon, S., J. Chivers, and W. Perrin 
(eds.), Molecular genetics of marine mammals, incorporating the 
proceedings of a workshop on the analysis of genetic data to address 
problems of stock identity as related to management of marine 
mammals. Spec. Pub. <greek-i>3 of the Society of Marine Mammalogy.
    Serreze, M.C., M.M. Holland, and J. Stroeve. 2007. Perspectives 
on the Arctic's shrinking sea-ice cover. Science 315: 1533-1536.
    Smithwick, M., J.W. Martin, S.A. Mabury, K. Solomon, C. Sonne, 
E.W. Born, R. Dietz, A.E. Derocher, R.L. Letcher, T.J. Evans, G.W. 
Gabrielsonm, J. Nagy, I. Stirling, and D.C.G. Muir. 2005. A 
circumpolar study of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears 
(Ursus maritimus). Environmental Science and Technology 39 (15): 
5517-5523.
    Smithwick, M. J., R. J. Norstrom, S.A. Maybury, K. Solomon, T.J. 
Evans, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, and D.C.G. Muir. 2006. Temporal 
trends of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears (Ursus 
maritimus) from two locations in the North American Arctic, 1972-
2002. Environmental Science and Technology. 40 (4): 1139-1143.
    Stirling, I., and C.L. Parkinson. 2006. Possible effects of 
climate warming on selected populations of polar bears (Ursus 
maritimus) in the Canadian Arctic. Arctic 99(3): 261-275.
    Stirling, I., N.J. Lunn, and J. Iacozza. 1999. Long-term trends 
in the population ecology of polar bears in western Hudson Bay in 
relation to climate change. Arctic 52:294-306.
    Stirling, I, T.L. McDonald, E.S. Richardson, and E.V. Regehr. 
2007. Polar bear population status in the Northern Beaufort Sea. 
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Administrative 
Report. 31 pp.
    Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. Gearheard, M. Holland, J. 
Maslanik, W. Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic Sea Ice Extent 
Plummets in 2007. EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 
89(2):13-14.
    Taylor, M.K., D.P. DeMaster, F.L. Bunnell, and R.E. 
Schweinsburg. 1987. Modeling the sustainable harvest of female polar 
bears. J. of Wildlife Management. 51:811-820.
    Thiemann, G.W., A.E. Derocher, and I. Stirling. 2008. Polar bear 
(Ursus maritimus) conservation in Canada: an ecological basis for 
identifying designatable units. Oryx. 42(4): 504-515
    Treseder, L., and A. Carpenter. 1989. Polar bear management in 
the Southern Beaufort Sea. Info. N. 15(4):2-4.
    USFWS. Unpublished data (polar bear harvest information). 
Available from: USFWS Marine Mammals Office, 1011 East Tudor Road, 
Anchorage, AK 99503.
    USGS (U.S. Geological Service) Unpublished data (research data). 
Available from: USGS/Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, 
Anchorage, AK 99508.
    Uspenski, S.M., and S.E. Belikov. 1991. Polar bear populations 
in the Arctic: Current state, studies, and management (1985-87). In 
S.C. Amstrup and O. Wiig (eds.), Proceedings of the Tenth Working 
Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, 
Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Verrault, J., D.C.G. Muir, R.J. Norstrom, I. Stirling, A.T. 
Fisk, G.W. Gabrielsen, A.E. Derocher, T.J. Evans, R. Dietz, C. 
Sonne, G.M. Sandala, W. Gebbink, F.F. Riget, E.W. Born, M.K. Taylor, 
J. Nagy, and R. J. Letcher. 2005. Chlorinated hydrocarbon 
contaminants and metabolites in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from 
Alaska, Canada, East Greenland, and Svalbard: 1996-2002. The Science 
of the Total Environment 351-352:369-390.
    Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. Guidelines for assessing 
marine mammal stocks: Report in the GAMMS Workshop, April 3-5, 1996, 
Seattle, WA. 93 pp.
    Wilson, D.E. 1976. Cranial variation in polar bears. 
International Conference Bear Research and Management 3:447-453.
    Woshner, V.M., T.M. O'Hara, G.R. Bratton, and V.R. Beasley. 
2001. Concentrations and interactions of selected essential and non-
essential elements in ringed seals and polar bears of Arctic Alaska. 
Journal of Wildlife Diseases. (37):711-721.

Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear

    Aars, J., N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher. eds. 2006. Polar bears: 
proceedings of the 14th working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 
Specialist Group, 20-24 June, Seattle, Washington, USA. IUCN, Gland, 
Switzerland. 189 pp.
    Administrative Law Judge. 1977. Environmental Impact Statement: 
Consideration of a waiver of the moratorium and return of management 
of certain marine mammals to the State of Alaska. 2 Volumes.
    Amstrup, S.C. 1986. Research on polar bears in Alaska, 1983-
1985. pp. 85-115. In Proceedings of the Ninth Working Meeting of the 
IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Edmonton, Canada. IUCN, Gland, 
Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 152 pp.
    Amstrup, S.C. 1995. Movements, distribution, and population 
dynamics of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. Ph.D. Dissertation. 
University of Alaska Fairbanks. Fairbanks, Alaska, 299 pp.
    Amstrup, S.C. 2000. Polar Bear. In The Natural History of an Oil 
Field: Development and Biota. Edited by J.C. Truett and S.R. 
Johnson. Academic Press, Inc., New York, New York, USA pp. 133-157.
    Amstrup, S.C., and D.P. DeMaster. 1988. Polar bear, Ursus 
maritimus. Pages 39-45 in J.W. Lentfer, ed. Selected Marine Mammals 
of Alaska: Species Accounts with Research and Management 
Recommendations. Marine Mammal Commission, Washington, DC.
    Amstrup, S.C., I. Stirling, and J.W. Lentfer. 1986. Past and 
present status of polar bears in Alaska. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 
14:241-254.
    Amstrup, S.C., G. Durner, I. Stirling, N.J. Lunn, and F. 
Messier. 2000. Movements and distribution of polar bears in the 
Beaufort Sea. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78:948-966.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and 
G.W. Garner. 2001a. Comparing movement patterns of satellite-tagged 
male and female polar bears. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:2147-
2158.
    Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and I. Stirling. 2001b. Polar 
bears in the Beaufort

[[Page 28951]]

Sea: A 30-year mark-recapture case history. Journal of Agricultural, 
Biological, and Environmental Statistics Vol.(2): 221-234.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, A.S. Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. 
Weston-York. 2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. pp. 109-
125. In N. Lunn, E.W. Born, and S. Schliebe (eds). Proceedings of 
the Thirteenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist 
Group, Nuuk, Greenland. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 
U.K. vii + 153 pp.
    Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and G.M. Durner. 2004. Using 
satellite radiotelemetry data to delineate and manage wildlife 
populations. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 32:661-679.
    Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, I. Stirling, and T.L. McDonald. 
2005. Allocating harvests among polar bear stocks in the Beaufort 
Sea. Arctic. 58:247-259.
    Belikov, S.E. 1993. Status of polar bear populations in the 
Russian Arctic 1993. pp. 115-121. In O. Wiig, G.W. Garner (eds.). 
Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar 
Bear Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 
v + 192 pp.
    Belikov, S.E. 1998. Research and management of polar bear 
populations in the Russian Arctic. pp. 113-114. In A.E. Derocher, G. 
Garner, N. Lunn, and O. Wiig (eds). Proceedings of the Twelfth 
Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. 3-7 
February, 1997. Oslo, Norway. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and 
Cambridge, U.K. v + 159 pp.
    Belikov, S.E., A.N. Boltunov, N.G. Ovsianikov, G.I. Belchanskiy, 
and A.A. Kochnev. 2006. Polar bear management and research in Russia 
2000-2004. pp. 153-155. In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher 
(eds.). Proceedings of the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC 
Polar Bear Specialist Group, 20-24 June 2005, Seattle, Washington, 
U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Brower, C.D., A. Carpenter, M. Branigan, W. Calvert, T. Evans, 
A.S. Fischbach, J. Nagy, S. Schliebe, and I. Stirling. 2002. The 
polar bear management agreement for the Southern Beaufort Sea: An 
evaluation of the first ten years of a unique conservation 
agreement. Arctic 56:362-372.
    Chelintsev, N.G. 1977. Determination of the absolute number of 
dens based on the selective counts. Pp. 66-85, In Uspenski, S.M. 
(ed.). The polar bear and its conservation in the Soviet Arctic. 
Moscow, Central Laboratory on Nature Conservation. (In Russian with 
English summary).
    Comiso, J.C. 2003. Warming trends in the Arctic from clear sky 
satellite observations. Journal of Climate 16:3498-3510.
    Comiso, J.C. 2006. Arctic warming signals from satellite 
observations. Weather 61(3):70-76.
    Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, G.W. Garner, and E.R. Vyse. 1991. 
Interspecific and intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in North 
American bears (Ursus). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 69:12:2985-
2992.
    Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, K.T. Scribner. 2006. Microsatellite 
DNA and mitochondrial DNA variation in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 
in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Alaska. Canadian Journal of 
Zoology 84:655-660.
    DeMaster, D.P., and I. Stirling. 1981. Ursus maritimus. 
Mammalian Species: 1-7.
    Dizon, A.E., C. Lockyer, W.F. Perrin, D.P. DeMaster, and J. 
Sisson. 1992. Rethinking the stock concept: a phylogeographic 
approach. Conservation Biology 6:24-36.
    Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, S.C. Amstrup, T.L. 
McDonald, I. Stirling, M. Mauritzen, E.W. Born, O. Wiig, E. 
DeWeaver, M.C. Serreze, S.E. Belikov, M.M. Holland, J. Maslanik, J. 
Aars, D.C. Bailey, and A.E. Derocher. 2009. Predicting 21st century 
polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models. 
Ecological Monographs 79(1): 25-58.
    Evans, T.J. 2004a. Concentrations of selected essential and non-
essential elements in adult male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from 
Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Technical Report. MMM 04-02. 
68 pp.
    Evans, T.J. 2004b. PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in adult male 
polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service Technical Report. MMM 04-01. 61 pp.
    Evans, T.F., A.S. Fischbach, S. Schliebe, B. Manley, S. 
Kalxdorff, and G. York. 2003. Polar bear aerial survey in the 
Eastern Chukchi Sea: A Pilot Study. Arctic 56(4):359-366.
    Fowler, C., W.J. Emery and J. Maslanik. 2004. Satellite-derived 
evolution of Arctic sea ice age: October 1978 to March 2003. 
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE, Volume 1, Issue 2, 
April 2004. pp. 71-74.
    Garner, G.W., S.T. Knick, and D.C. Douglas. 1990. Seasonal 
movements of adult female polar bears in the Bering and Chukchi 
seas. International Conference on Bear Research and Management 
8:219-226.
    Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, D.S. Robson, D.P. Young Jr., and 
S.M. Arthur. 1992. Literature review: population estimation 
methodologies applicable to the estimation of abundance of polar 
bears. Internal Report, U.S.F.W.S. 102 pp.
    Garner, G.W., S.E. Belikov, M.S. Stishov, V.G. Barnes, and S.A. 
Arthur. 1994. Dispersal patterns of maternal polar bears from the 
denning concentration on Wrangel Island. International Conference on 
Bear Research and Management 9(1):401-410.
    Garner, G.W., M.S. Stishov, O. Wiig, A. Boltunov, G.I. 
Belchansky, D.C. Douglas, L.L. McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and S. 
Schliebe. 1998. Polar bear research in western Alaska, eastern and 
western Russia 1993-1996. pp. 125-129. In A.E. Derocher, G. Garner, 
N. Lunn, and O. Wiig (eds.). Proceedings of the Twelfth Working 
Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. 3-7 February, 
1997. Oslo, Norway. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. v 
+ 159 pp.
    Hanna, G.D. 1920. Mammals of the St. Matthew Islands, Bering 
Sea. Journal of Mammalogy 1:118-122.
    Harington, C.R. 1968. Denning habits of the polar bear (Ursus 
maritimus Phipps). Canadian Wildlife Service Report, Series 5. 33 
pp.
    Holland, M., C.M. Bitz, and B. Tremblay. 2006. Future abrupt 
reductions in summer Arctic sea ice. Geophysical Research Letters 33 
L25503: doi 10.1029/200661028024: 1-5.
    Hunter, C.M., H. Caswell, M.C. Runge, E.V. Regehr, S.A. Amstrup, 
and I. Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea II: 
Demography and population growth in relation to sea ice conditions. 
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Administrative 
Report. 46 pp.
    IUCN. 2006. Status of the polar bear. pp. 33-56 in J. Aars J., 
N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th Working 
Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Seattle, United 
States. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Kannan, K., S.H. Yun, and T.J. Evans. 2005. Chlorinated, 
brominated, and perfluorinated contaminants in livers of polar bears 
from Alaska. Environmental Science and Technology. 39:9057-9063.
    Kannan, K., T. Agusa, T.J. Evans, and S. Tanabe. 2007. Trace 
element concentrations in livers of polar bears from tow population 
in northern and western Alaska. Archives of Environmental 
Contaminants and Toxicology 53:473-482.
    Kochnev, A.A. 2006. Research on polar bear autumn aggregations 
on Chukotka, 1989-2004. pp. 157-166. In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. 
Derocher (eds.) Proceeding of the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/
SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 20-24 June 2005, Seattle, 
Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1974. Discreteness of Alaskan polar bear 
populations. Proceedings of the International Congress of Game 
Biologists 11:323-329.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1976. Environmental contaminants and parasites in 
polar bears. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Pittman-Robertson 
Project Report. W-17-4 and W-17-5. 22 pp.
    Lentfer, J.W. 1983. Alaskan polar bear movements from mark and 
recovery. Arctic 36:282-288.
    Lentfer, J.W., and W.A. Galster. 1987. Mercury in polar bears 
from Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 23:338-341.
    Lentfer, J.W., R.J. Hensel, J.R. Gilbert, and F.E. Sorensen. 
1980. Population characteristics of Alaskan polar bears. 
International Conference on Bear Research and Management 3: 109-115.
    Lindsay, R.W., and J. Zhang. 2005. The thinning of the Arctic 
sea ice, 1988-2003: have we passed a tipping point? J. Climate 
18:4879-4894.
    Lunn, N.J., S. Schliebe, and E.W. Born, eds. 2002. Polar bears: 
Proceedings of the 13th working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 
Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. vii 
+153pp.
    Manning, T.H. 1971. Geographical variation in the polar bear 
Ursus maritimus Phipps. Canadian Wildlife Service Report Series No. 
13. 27 pp.
    Muir, D.C.G., S. Backus, A.E. Derocher, R. Dietz, T.J. Evans, 
G.W. Gabrielsen, J. Nagy, R.J. Norstrom, C. Sonne, I. Stirling, M.K. 
Taylor, and R.J. Letcher. 2006. Brominated flame retardants in polar 
bears (Ursus maritimus) from Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, East 
Greenland and Svalbard. Environmental Science and Technology 
40(2):449-455.
    Nageak, B.P., C.D.N. Brower, and S.L. Schliebe. 1991. Polar bear 
management in the

[[Page 28952]]

southern Beaufort Sea: An Agreement between the Inuvialuit Game 
Council and the North Slope Borough Fish and Game Committee. In 
Transactions of North American Wildlife and Natural Resources 
Conference 56:337-343.
    Ovsyanikov, N.G. 2006. Research and conservation of polar bears 
on Wrangel Island. Pp. 167-171, In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. 
Derocher (eds.), Proceeding of the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/
SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 20-24 June 2005, Seattle, 
Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Overland, J.E., and M. Wang. 2007. Future regional Arctic sea 
ice declines. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L17705.
    Paetkau, D., S.C. Amstrup, E.W. Born, W. Calvert, A.E. Derocher, 
G.W. Garner, F. Messier, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, O. Wiig, and C. 
Strobeck. 1999. Genetic Structure of the world's polar bear 
populations. Molecular Ecology 8:1571-1584.
    Parkinson, C.L., D.J. Cavalieri, P. Gloersen, H.J. Zwally, and 
J.C. Comiso. 1999. Arctic sea ice extents, areas, and trends, 1978-
1996. Journal of Geophysical Research 104(C9):20837-20856.
    Ray, C.E. 1971. Polar bear and mammoth on the Pribilof Islands. 
Arctic 24:9-19.
    Regehr, E.V., S.C. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2006. Polar bear 
population status in the Southern Beaufort Sea. Report Series 2006-
1337, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 
Anchorage, Alaska. 55 pp.
    Regehr, E.V., C.M. Hunter, H. Caswell, S.C. Amstrup, and I. 
Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea I: Survival 
and breeding in relation to sea ice conditions, 2001-2006. U.S. 
Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Administrative Report. 45 
pp.
    Rode, K.D., S.C. Amstrup, and E.V. Regehr. 2007. Polar Bears in 
the southern Beaufort Sea III: stature, mass, and cub recruitment in 
relationship to time and sea ice extent between 1982 and 2006. U.S. 
Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report, 
Reston, Virginia. 28 pp.
    Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. 1999. Thinning of the 
Arctic sea-ice cover, Geophysical Research Letters 26:3469-3472.
    Rush, S.A., K. Borga, R. Dietz, E.W. Born, C. Sonne, T. Evans, 
D.C.G. Muir, R.L. Letcher, R.J. Norstrom, and A.T. Fisk. 2008. 
Geographic Distribution of selected elements in the livers of polar 
bears from Greenland, Canada, and the United States. Environmental 
Pollution 153 (3): 618-626.
    Schliebe, S.L., S.C. Amstrup, and G.W. Garner. 1995. The status 
of polar bear in Alaska, 1993. Pp. 125-139, In O. Wiig, G.W. Garner 
(eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC 
Polar Bear Specialist Group, Copenhagen, Denmark. IUCN, Gland, 
Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK. v + 192 pp.
    Schliebe, S., T.J. Evans, S. Miller, C. Perham, J. Wilder, and 
L.J. Lierheimer. 2006. Polar bear management in Alaska 2000-2004. 
Pp. 63-76, In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher (eds.), 
Proceeding of the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 
Specialist Group, 20-24 June 2005, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, 
Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Scribner, K.T., G.W. Garner, S.C. Amstrup, and M.A. Cronin. 
1997. Population genetic studies of the polar bear (Ursus 
maritimus): a summary of available data and interpretation of 
results. Pp. 185-196, In Dizon, S., J. Chivers, and W. Perrin 
(eds.), Molecular genetics of marine mammals, incorporating the 
proceedings of a workshop on the analysis of genetic data to address 
problems of stock identity as related to management of marine 
mammals. Spec. Pub. <greek-i>3 of the Society of Marine Mammalogy.
    Serreze, M.C., M.M. Holland, and J. Stroeve. 2007. Perspectives 
on the Arctic's shrinking sea-ice cover. Science 315: 1533-1536.
    Smithwick, M., J.W. Martin, S.A. Mabury, K. Solomon, C. Sonne, 
E.W. Born, R. Dietz, A.E. Derocher, R.L. Letcher, T.J. Evans, G.W. 
Gabrielsonm, J. Nagy, I. Stirling, and D.C.G. Muir. 2005. A 
circumpolar study of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears 
(Ursus maritimus). Environmental Science and Technology 39(15):5517-
5523.
    Smithwick, M.J., R.J. Norstrom, S.A. Maybury, K. Solomon, T.J. 
Evans, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, and D.C.G. Muir. 2006. Temporal 
trends of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears (Ursus 
maritimus) from two locations in the North American Arctic, 1972-
2002. Environmental Science and Technology. 40(4):1139-1143.
    Stishov, M.S. 1991a. Results of aerial counts of the polar bear 
dens on the arctic coast of the extreme Northern Asia. Pp. 90-92, In 
Amstrup, S.C., and Wiig, [Oslash]. (eds.), Polar Bears: Proceedings 
of the Tenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist 
Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Stishov, M.S. 1991b. Distribution and number of polar bear 
maternity dens on Wrangel and Herald islands, in 1985-1989, pp. 91-
115 in Amerirkhavov, A.M. (ed.), Population and Communities of 
Mammals on Wrangel Island. Moscow, CNIL Glavokhhoty RSFSR. (in 
Russian).
    Stishov, M.S., G.W. Garner, S.M. Arthur, and V.G.B. Barnes Jr. 
1991. Distribution and relative abundance of maternal polar bear 
dens in the Chukotka Peninsula region, U.S.S.R. p. 67 in Abstracts, 
Ninth Biennial Conference on the Biology of the Marine Mammals, 5-9 
December 1991, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
    Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. Gearheard, M. Holland, J. 
Maslanik, W. Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic Sea Ice Extent 
Plummets in 2007. EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 
89(2):13-14.
    Treseder, L., and A. Carpenter. 1989. Polar bear management in 
the Southern Beaufort Sea. Info. N. 15(4):2-4.
    USFWS. Unpublished data (polar bear harvest information). 
Available from: USFWS Marine Mammals Office, 1011 East Tudor Road, 
Anchorage, AK 99503.
    Uspenski, S.M. 1986. Research and management of polar bear 
populations in the USSR, 1981-85. Pages 133-136 in Proceedings of 
the Ninth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist 
Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K.
    Verrault, J., D.C.G. Muir, R.J. Norstrom, I. Stirling, A.T. 
Fisk, G.W. Gabrielsen, A.E. Derocher, T.J. Evans, R. Dietz, C. 
Sonne, G.M. Sandala, W. Gebbink, F.F. Riget, E.W. Born, M.K. Taylor, 
J. Nagy, and R.J. Letcher. 2005. Chlorinated hydrocarbon 
contaminants and metabolites in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from 
Alaska, Canada, East Greenland, and Svalbard: 1996-2002. The Science 
of the Total Environment 351-352:369-390.
    Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. Guidelines for assessing 
marine mammal stocks: Report in the GAMMS Workshop, April 3-5, 1996, 
Seattle, WA. 93 pp.
    Wilson, D.E. 1976. Cranial variation in polar bears. 
International Conference Bear Research and Management 3:447-453.
    Woshner, V.M., T.M. O'Hara, G.R. Bratton, and V.R. Beasley. 
2001. Concentrations and interactions of selected essential and non-
essential elements in ringed seals and polar bears of Arctic Alaska. 
Journal of Wildlife Diseases. (37):711-721.
    Zdor, Eduard. Personal Communication. Executive Director, 
Association of Traditional Marine Mammal Hunters of Chukotka.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et al.).

    Dated: June 9, 2009.
Marvin Moriarty,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E9-14346 Filed 6-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>