Indigenous Knowledge habitat models of bearded seals (ugruk; Erignathus barbatus) in coastal Alaskan waters
Bearded seals are extremely important for Iñupiat in Utqiaġvik, who rely on them for umiaqs (traditional whale hunting boats) as well as for food. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) embodies in-depth understanding of bearded seal habitat use and behavior over thousands of years, yet it is rarely considered and used in current methods for species management and conservation. For example, bearded seals are currently listed as ‘threatened’ under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but that listing has been contested by representatives of Iñupiat hunters in Alaska, partially due to the lack of inclusion of IK to determine the species status. To date, inferences about bearded seal behavior and habitat use have been largely based on ‘western’ science, but those methods face critical limitations that IK can resolve, if considered and included. Thus, failure to appreciate the value of IK and to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples to include that knowledge can limit the “best available” information used to assess and manage bearded seal populations in Alaska.
To meet this need, the project team will develop seasonal habitat models for bearded seals, in partnership with Iñupiat hunters, that directly include IK of seal habitat use and behavior as the main data source. These IK habitat models will be spatially linked to the waters around Utqiaġvik so they can be used to map critical habitat areas for bearded seals that can guide bearded seal conservation and management in the region. Indigenous Knowledge holders will be directly involved in all steps of developing and testing the IK habitat models as well as discussions around how model results could inform critical habitat designation for these seals. This work will be shared with the Ice Seal Committee (ISC) to further their mandates to manage healthy populations of ice-associated seals for long-term sustainable subsistence use by Inuit in Alaska and to advise the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding the co-management of ice seal species. Additionally, the Inuit Circumpolar Council will use this project to highlight examples of what IK embodies and what opportunities exist to use IK to inform global measures of biodiversity to international audiences.
For more information on Inuit Circumpolar Council’s and North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife and Management visit their websites: Inuit Circumpolar Council – United Voice of the Arctic and Wildlife Management (north-slope.org).
