Spring Migration and Subsistence Hunting of King and Common Eiders at Holman, Northwest Territories, 1996-98

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A subsistence hunt for eiders by Inuvialuit of Holman, Northwest Territories, was observed over three spring harvest seasons from 1996 to 1998 to determine rates of crippling loss and to assess the sustainability of the harvest. King eiders (Somateria spectabilis) are the dominant waterfowl species harvested. The number of king eiders estimated to migrate past Holman in spring varied from 40 696 ± 4461 (95% confidence interval) in 1996 to 70 018 ± 14 356 in 1998, averaging 53 000 per year. Common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigra) were much less abundant, varying from 2728 ± 631 to 6017 ± 770 birds, averaging 4400 annually. Peak numbers of king eiders moved through the study area in 1-8 days during the second to third week of June in all years, and common eiders peaked in 1 -8 days during the first to second week of June. Strong winds may have hindered migration for a few days. Crippling loss rates during the hunt were low (3 -9%) in the first two years of the study, but increased to 13 -20% in the early open-water spring of 1998, when hunters were forced to shoot over open water rather than shorefast ice. On the basis of these estimates and harvest data from the Inuvialuit Harvest Study, we determined that Holman hunters removed 3.7 -6.9% of the king eider subpopulation and less than 1% of the common eiders over the three-year study period. The present level of harvest of eiders available to Holman hunters is likely sustainable. However, more information on natural mortality and recruitment rates, particularly for king eiders, is needed to confirm this.

Quantifying the relative impact of hunting and oiling on Brünnich’s guillemots in the North-west Atlantic

“…However, these surveys are not perfect and are known to have certain biases. The extent of crippling loss, that is, birds dying as a result of shooting, but not retrieved by hunters (Byers & Dickson 2001), is unknown, and the impact of harvest is therefore likely underestimated. Guillemot hunting is carried out from small open boats in the ocean, under a range of winter weather and sea states, and guillemots often dive when shot at; these factors make retrieval of all targeted birds unlikely, and estimates of crippling loss would be a useful addition.…”

Linking Breeding and Wintering Areas of King Eiders: Making Use of Polar Isotopic Gradients

“…In Holman, we only took samples in 1 geographic location, but these represented individuals that wintered over a larger western geographic region for 2 reasons: (1) sea ice prevented eiders from overwintering near Holman, and king eider migration is highly synchronous and occurred over a short period (Woodby andDivoky 1982, Suydam 2000) for which dates of hunter-killed birds coincided with the arrival of king eiders to the eastern Beaufort Sea (Suydam 2000); and (2) the most important spring staging areas are located within polynyas west of Holman, near the Amundsen Gulf (southwest Banks Island and Balillie Islands; Alexander et al 1997). It is expected that 90% of the western wintering king eiders stage in this area during spring (Barry 1986) with about 20% of all western wintering king eiders passing near Holman Island en route to more easterly breeding areas (Byers andDickson 2001, Suydam et al 2000).…”

Yellow-Billed Loon Subsistence Harvest in Alaska: Challenges in Harvest Assessment of a Conservation Concern Species

“…Logistical difficulties precluded access to remote locations. A stationary observer facing seaward recorded birds in flight and on water using binoculars and a spotting scope (Richardson and Johnson 1981;Byers and Dickson 2001;Day et al 2003Day et al , 2004. Counts were distributed along daylight hours to account for circadian movements of birds.…”