U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Alaska Natives Form Alliance to Conserve Walrus, Sea Otter, Polar Bear

Three Alaska Native organizations have joined with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to begin a new era of wildlife management for some of the worlds best known northern wildlife. On Tuesday, February 19th, the Service signed cooperative agreements with the Alaska Nanuuq ("Polar Bear") Commision and the Eskimo Walrus Commision, setting in motion a wide range of co-management activities aimed at conserving marine mammal populations. A similar agreement with the Alaska Sea Otter commission for co-management of sea otters will be signed in the next several weeks.

Signing the agreements were: Charlie Johnson, executive director of the Nanuuq Commission, Gabe Mutoyuk, Chairman of the Eskimo Walrus Commission, and Dave Allen, Alaska Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agreements were made possible under 1994 amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and funding from Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) in the 1997 federal budget.

"These agreements are the first step in a new direction for wildlife management," said Allen. "They will provide a working structure that joins the science and wildlife management expertise of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service together with the traditional knowledge and daily subsistence interactions of the indigenous peoples who have co-existed with this wildlife for thousands of years."

Co-management activities which will begin this year under the agreements include developing co-management structures, biomonitoring, collection of local knowledge, harvest monitoring , preparation of local management plans, cooperative law enforcement , and development of Bilateral Conservation Agreements with Russia for shared populations of polar bear and walrus.

According to Allen, work leading to the signing of the agreements has reflected the "true sprit and intent of the principles of co-management, which depend on close cooperation, common goals, and communication based on mutual respect."

-FWS-