Harvest Documentation for Northwest Arctic Borough

2012 Ice Seal Harvest Survey for Northwest Arctic Borough (Maniilaq)

A voluntary survey was conducted on Spotted, Bearded, Ringed and Ribbon seal harvest in the Native communities of Kivalina, Noatak, Deering and Buckland in the Northwest Arctic Borough. These communities and the ISC helped fund this important project. Thanks to the villages for cooperating and the village surveyors Ellan Swan and Clayton Barr of Deering, Gerald Walton and William Penn of Noatak, Lizzie Hawley and Jamie Hawley of Kivalina, Edwin Gavin and Dora Stalker of Buckland for doing a wonderful job. Very important data on seals of concern was also collected.

Communities/Seals		Deering	Noatak	Buckland	Kivalina	Total
Spotted Seal		2	22	75	20	119
Bearded Seal		42	57	42	117	258
Ringed Seal		0	2	23	15	40
Ribbon Seal		0	1	0	0	1
Loss	Killed but not caught	8	12	19	8	47
Total		52	94	159	160	465

Reports by Community:

Deering – Was given old household list, including teachers, of 55. Most hunters saw a big change due to global warming: melting early and ice leaving earlier, ice thinner, seeing more birds that have never been seen at Deering.

Noatak – Was told before the survey that most don’t come down to Shesolik to harvest seals anymore. All harvesters were happy with their take, and mentioned that the ice was thin and the ice left early. The harvesters saw a lot of the other seals than before; they were healthy (fat) and their stomachs had lots of shrimp and small crabs. One harvester saw 1 sick seal and the ice was rotten and did not go after it.

Buckland – Seal harvesters were happy with their catch; one bearded seal had yellow blubber and 2 years ago (2010) harvesters saw two bearded seals with bald spots and lesions, Harvester saw two dead on top of the ice, both were bearded seals, both had bald spots and lesions on them and they did notice they looked fat. Also, one ringed was so sick looking that it was unrecognizable if you did not know what a ringed seal looked like. Most noted that they have seen bearded, spotted and ringed seal at the river. Ice is melting early and leaving early and is a lot thinner and lots of black ice. The harvesters caught two spotted seals that were very skinny.

Kivalina – Harvesters saw two sick bearded seals two years ago (2010) that had bald spots and one had lesions. For this year, one was seen from a distance with binoculars with bald spots; also one was harvested that had bald spots and the meat was nice and red and the blubber was fat. Most noted that the ice melts early and leaves early and a lot of black ice and most saw seals on the river – bearded and ringed seals.

Enoch Shiedt states:

Thank You to Native Villages of Buckland, Deering, Kivalina, and Noatak for participating because without your help this survey would not be possible. It has been a great honor to serve my region and people.

Banner photo credit: NSB-DWM