Species under Threat

The Polar Bear

The Arctic is home to roughly one tenth of the world's polar bear population.

As the Arctic climate warms, the sea ice that polar bears depend on for vital habitat is disappearing causing polar bear populations to decline. Illegal Russian hunts also contribute to their decline, with as many as 300 bears killed a year. The U.S. Geological Survey projects that two-thirds of the world's polar bears, including all of the polar bears in Alaska, will probably be gone by 2050. Worldwide polar bear population is estimated to be between 20,000-25,000 bears. There are 19 subpopulations of polar bears; two of which occur in Alaska-the southern Beaufort Sea stock and the Bering/Chukchi seas stock. The southern Beaufort Sea stock is estimated to be 1,500 bears with the current population trend declining. The Chukchi Sea stock is estimated at 2,000 animals, though the lack of data available makes it difficult to predict if the population is declining or not. Polar bears have been listed as 'threatened' under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 2008.

Useful Links:

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/

http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/stock/finalpbcbseas.pdf

Pacific Walrus
Pacific Walruses inhabit both the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Due to global warming, thousands of Pacific walruses above the Arctic Circle are killed in stampedes each year as the disappearance of sea ice causes them to crowd onto a shrinking shoreline in extraordinary numbers. Walruses cannot swim indefinitely and depend on the ice to rest or haul themselves onto land. Pacific walruses were made a candidate for "endangerment" status in February of 2010.

The Yellow-billed Loon
The yellow-billed loon, one of the rarest of all North American birds, is threatened by oil development in Alaska and Russia, drowning in fishing nets, overharvest, and the loss of its tundra habitat in the face of global warming.

Bowhead Whale

The bowhead whale is named for its enormous bow-shaped skulls, which it uses for breaking through thick sea ice in the arctic. Though commercial whaling has ended, the bowhead still faces real threats to their survival such as ship strikes, gear entanglement, noise from oil and gas drilling activities, and melting sea ice. Disappearance of the ice allows their once untouched habitat to be accessible by more vessels and accompanying activities. All five stocks of the bowhead whale are listed on the IUCN Red List, including the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort stock (also called the Western Arctic stock). Scientists estimate the current population of bowheads is between 8,200-13,500 individuals.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ak2010whbh-arw.pdf

Ribbon Seal
Like the walrus and the polar bear, the ribbon seal depends on sea ice for its lifestyle in the Bering, Chukchi, and Okhotsk seas off Alaska and Russia. In addition to global warming, oil and gas development is encroaching on its habitat.

Northern Fur Seal
The majority of fur seals breed at Pribilof Islands located in the Bering Sea. Smaller populations are located on Bogoslof Island in the Aleutians and the Kuril Islands and Commander Islands near mainland Russia in the western North Pacific. Due to climate change, as temperatures in the ocean rise, the fish on which northern fur seals depend have begun moving further out to sea where the water is cooler. If fish numbers are reduced or more plentiful further offshore, seals will need to spend more time foraging, thereby expending more time and energy on feeding and less on reproduction and raising young. This reduces the survival rate of pups, leading to a reduction in the overall fur seal population.

Ice Seal
A proposal to have Bearded Seals and Ringed Seals classified as "threatened" is currently being considered by Congress. Though mature seals can live in water, their pups cannot until they develop an insulating layer of blubber. To safely nurture the pups, adult seals make a home by burrowing into sea ice. The continued shrinkage of sea ice directly threatens the survival of the species.