This is the pattern for females and young in summer, and when the ice retreated far to the north in the Chukchi Sea, the animals suffered. Males typically haul out on land, and may have eaten most of the food near the haulouts, forcing them to go farther in search of clams. Due to wave action and sedimentation, the productivity of the sea bed may have declined, too, making it harder for walrus to find food. In the spring of 1999, however, the walrus were in good condition following a cold winter with good ice formation in the Bering Sea. When the winter ice forms late and is too thin, walrus cannot haul out and rest the way they need to, and they will be in poor condition the following spring.
Most seals seem to be doing fairly well.
Hunters have been having more success hunting bearded seals lately. The seals are in good condition, and it may be that there are more of them or that they are concentrated in hunting areas for some reason. In 1996 and 1997, in which spring break-up came early, there were more strandings of baby ringed seals on the beach. These weanlings were probably left on their own too early. The mothers train their young on the shorefast ice where they den, but if the ice melts, the seals must abandon their dens early.