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Protection of the Artic Animals
November 21st, 1956 the decree On Protection of Arctic Animals was adopted forbidding all hunting (even by aboriginal people) of polar bears whether on shore, islands or in the waters (excepting self-defense killing, of course). This decree remains in force. -
The Federal Provincial Administrative Committe
In July 1969, the Federal- Provincial Administrative Committee for Polar Bear Management was established in Canada. -
Federal-Provincial Technical Committe for Polar Bear Research
In January 1970, the Federal-Provincial Technical Committee for Polar Bear Research was established Canada -
Marine Mammal Protection Act
With the advent of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, sport hunting of polar bears was stopped. The moratorium does have exceptions. For example, Alaska natives are allowed to hunt for subsistence and handicraft purposes. -
International Agreement
In efforts to protect Polar Bears, an international agreement was set up in 1973 whereby only traditional weapons were allowed to be used in the hunting of the Polar Bears. -
The Polar Bear Management Agreement for the Southern Beaufort Sea
The Polar Bear Management Agreement for the Southern Beaufort Sea, between the Inupiat hunters of Alaska and Inuvialuit hunters of Canada, was ratified in 1988. It was enacted to protect the polar bears traveling between the Canadian portion of the Beaufort Sea region and Chukchi Sea in the United States. It accomplishes this through provisions protecting polar bear in dens as well as females and cubs. Also, it specifies that the annual sustainable harvest from this region is shared equally betw -
Agreement on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population
The Agreement on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population is an agreement between Russia and the United States that was established on October 16, 2000 in both English and Russian languages. Its jurisdiction elaborated upon in Article III, includes the Chukchi, East Siberian and Bering Seas. The agreement seeks to further the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears while recognizing the importance of traditional knowledge and that of human-caused thr -
Polar Bears Being Considered for U.S. Endangered List
The Bush Administration yesterday kicked off a process to determine whether polar bears should be added to the United States endangered species list because their habitat is melting. The action is "a significant acknowledgement of what global warming is doing to the Arctic ice," said Kassie Siegel, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity in Joshua Tree, California. In December the conservation group, along with Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council, sued the U.S. -
Polar Bear Protection Act
The Polar Bear Protection Act of 2007 (S. 1406/H.R. 2327)—introduced by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and )—would close the 1994 loophole (see sidebar) in the MMPA and prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing permits for the importation of sport-hunted polar bear trophies. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment, sponsored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), to the Interior Appropriations bill on June -
Population drop
One USGS study from 1984-2004 showed that the number of polar bears in the West Hudson Bay stock, in Canada, decreased from 1,194 polar bears in 1987 to 935 in 2004, a 22 percent drop. USGS documented reductions in the weight of adult bears and the survival rate of newborn cubs along with this population decrease, which correlated with a loss of sea ice. A 2007 USGS report on the status of polar bears in Alaska’s Southern Beaufort Sea found a similar decrease in cub survivorship. -
Endangered Species Act 2007
While in Ontario, the Minister of Natural Resource will be listing the polar bear as a “species of special concern” under the Endangered Species Act 2007 which comes into force May 14, 2008. This new characterization is based on “the best available scientific information," “information obtained from community knowledge” and “aboriginal traditional knowledge.”[xii] To qualify as a “species of special concern” under this Act the animal must “live[] in the wild in Ontario, [] not [be] endangered o
