Subsistence polar bear quota affirmed

A subsistence quota of 58 polar bears per year has been affirmed for the Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Aug. 2 that the affirmation came at a July 27-29 meeting of the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission. The commission includes representatives from the U.S. and Russian Federation representing federal, state and Native interests in polar bear conservation and management.

The goal of the meeting, the third the commission has held, was to continue implementation of a bilateral treaty for the shared Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population which inhabits the Bering and Chukchi seas.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife said the commission affirmed a quota of 58 polar bears per year to be shared between the two countries. The quota, established in June 2010, is intended to protect the ability of the Native peoples of Alaska and Chukotka to take polar bears for traditional subsistence purposes and ensuring that the harvest is sustainable.

—Petroleum News