Research Document - 2008/088

Preliminary evaluation of selective hunting and recovery of Eastern Canadian Arctic-West Greenland bowhead whales

By L. Dueck and P. Richard

Abstract

A deterministic, stage-based population model was constructed to examine the relative impacts of four hypothetical hunting scenarios on the population recovery of the Eastern Canadian Arctic- West Greenland bowhead whale population. The hunting scenarios included “no hunting”, an “adult-juvenile” hunt (age and gender in equal numbers), an “adult only” hunt (equal gender ratio), and an “adult female” biased hunt (only adult females).  Population characteristics were selected based on a combination of best available information and subsequent assumptions that allow the model to result in some positive growth under “no hunting” and allow a small percentage of animals to survive to 100 years. Theoretical population sizes of 5,000 and 10,000 were examined.  An “adult female” biased hunt had the greatest negative (or least positive) effect on population growth, followed by “adult only”, “juvenile-adult”, and “no hunting”.  If larger initial population size is assumed, no population decline was observed for any hunting scenarios. The results of the modelling suggest that a risk of decline in the population, even for a female-biased hunt of 10 whales is unlikely. However, without more precise information on survival rates, fecundity, population abundance and population composition, it is not possible to provide specific risk assessments for any given hunting scenario.

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