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Traditional knowledge of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) around St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT. Despite considerable research on the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Alaskan waters, relatively little has been conducted in the northern Bering Sea. To help fill this gap, we documented traditional knowledge of bowhead whales held by Yupik whalers of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Results include descriptions of the seasonal movements, distribution, and abundance of bowheads near St. Lawrence Island. The bowhead population appears to be increasing, as is the number of young whales seen. Changing environmental conditions are influencing distribution, leading to a somewhat earlier spring migration and a greater presence of whales near the island in winter. Hunters describe two bowhead migration paths near the island. It is unknown whether these two paths are used by two genetically different groups of whales, or whether the animals are simply responding differently to oceanographic conditions or geography. Our findings are consistent with studies of this bowhead population conducted elsewhere and suggest that additional research is needed to determine possible migratory (or genetic) differences between the two migrations of whales seen at St. Lawrence Island.

Key words: bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, traditional knowledge, Yupik, Alaska

RESUME. Bien que de nombreuses recherches aient ete effectuees sur la baleine boreale (Balaena mysticetus) dans les eaux alaskiennes, peu de recherches ont ete realisees dans le nord de la mer de Bering. Afin de combler ce vide, nous avons pris note des connaissances traditionnelles des chasseurs de baleines yupik en matiere de baleines boreales sur l'ile Saint-Laurent, en Alaska. Les donnees obtenues prennent la forme de la description des mouvements saisonniers, de la repartition et de l'abondance des baleines boreales pres de l'ile Saint-Laurent. La population de baleines boreales semble augmenter, comme c'est aussi le cas du nombre de jeunes baleines. L'evolution des conditions environnementales a des effets sur la repartition des baleines et engendre une migration un peu plus hative au printemps de meme qu'une plus grande presence de baleines pres de l'ile l'hiver. Les chasseurs decrivent deux chemins de migration pour les baleines boreales. Nous ne savons pas si ces deux chemins sont empruntes par deux groupes de baleines differents du point de vue genetique ou si les baleines reagissent simplement differemment aux conditions oceanographiques ou geographiques. Nos constatations sont conformes aux etudes de cette population de baleines boreales realisees ailleurs et laissent croire que des recherches plus poussees s'averent necessaires pour determiner les differences migratoires (ou genetiques) entre les deux migrations de baleines en evidence a l'ile Saint-Laurent.

Mots cles: baleine boreale, Balaena mysticetus, ile Saint-Laurent, mer de Bering, connaissances traditionnelles, Yupik, Alaska

Traduit pour la revue Arctic par Nicole Giguere.

INTRODUCTION

Considerable research on bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) has taken place in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas (e.g., Burns et al., 1993), but relatively little has been conducted in the northern Bering Sea (Brueggeman, 1982; Ljungblad et al., 1986; Burns et al., 1993). Research to determine population size and trend, reproductive rate, and other biological parameters has taken place mainly at Barrow, Alaska. Management actions, including the harvest quota set by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), are based largely on these studies (Burns et al., 1993; George et al., 2004). At its May meeting in 2002, the IWC denied renewal of the five-year block hunting quota under which Alaska Eskimo whalers hunt, primarily because of concern that more than one stock might be present in the northern Bering Sea (IWC, 2003:18-22). The renewal was later accepted, however, at a special meeting held in October 2002. Although a quota was eventually negotiated at the later meeting, the IWC also recommended that a major stock structure research program be initiated.

In 2004, the United States launched a substantial program that includes, among other things, genetics, aerial photo-identification, traditional knowledge, satellite telemetry, and stable-carbon analysis of baleen (see Rugh et al., 2003, for more discussion about stock structure research for bowhead whales). Preliminary evidence of genetic differentiation between samples collected at Barrow and St. Lawrence Island (Givens et al., 2004) was considered inconclusive because of the small sample size (IWC, 2005). Extensive genetic sampling of recently harvested whales (LeDuc et al., 2006), baleen collection for isotope analysis, and the present study of traditional knowledge were considered key elements of the overall program (Moore and George, 2005).

Previously reported observations from Russian coastal communities along the Bering and Chukchi seas indicated that some bowhead whales from the northern Bering Sea may not migrate past Barrow (Bogoslovskaya, 2003; Melnikov et al., 2004). St. Lawrence Island residents had reported observations indicating the same conclusion (Conrad Oozeva, pers, comm. 1982), but no formal study of traditional knowledge in the region had been made. We conducted this study to document traditional knowledge held by Yupik whalers in the two communities of Gambell and Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island (Fig. 1). Our goal was to record local understanding of important and otherwise unavailable information about bowhead whales in the northern Bering Sea (IWC, 2005), including (a) the migratory patterns and seasonal distribution of bowhead whales near St. Lawrence Island, (b) the possibility of distinct stocks or sub-stocks in the area, and (c) changes over time in bowhead abundance and distribution. Additional observations on other biological and ecological parameters were gathered, but were not the primary focus of the study.

We use the term "traditional knowledge" to refer to the body of information and understanding developed over time, in this case, by the St. Lawrence Island Yupik. It is based on lessons and stories passed from generation to generation and personal experience and interaction with peers, including people from other communities (cf. Johannes, 1981; Huntington, 1998; Berkes, 1999). In the case of whaling, the Yupik have also interacted with and learned from outsiders: from commercial whalers and traders, starting in the...