Ecora: An Integrated Ecosystem Management Approach

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There has been a rapid increase in the Siberian • salmon population as a result of the release of millions of hatchlings in the Kolyma region in 1999-2005. As the mature individuals return to spawn, local fishermen regard the Siberian salmon as a competitor to whitefish. Scientists believe that the populations of other • fish species are also gradually decreasing but this view is not shared by fishermen who continue to request higher quotas. Fishing is the only occupation available to many people living in this area. Status: Field work on fish resources has been completed and recommendations for conservation and management will be prepared in 2009. Activity 2.6: Marine mammals (Beringovsky) Results: The Beringovsky District has a very high diversity • of marine mammals. They are important to the maintenance of traditional lifestyles but also vulnerable to offshore oil and gas development. Twenty-one species of marine mammals live in the waters adjacent to the Beringovsky Model Area, including 13 cetacean species. Species observed in the Beringovsky Model • Area include Polar Bear ( Ursus maritimus ), Sea

Otter ( Enhydra lutris ), Eared Seal ( Eumetopias jubatus ), Pacific Walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ), Gray Seal ( Phoca barbatus ), Ringed Seal ( Pusa hispida ), Ribbon Seal ( Histriophoca fasciata ), Bearded Seal ( Erignathus barbatus ), Harbour Porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena vomerina ), Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca ), White Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ), Baird’s Beaked Whale ( Berardius bairdi ), SpermWhale ( Physeter catodon ), Greenland Right Whale ( Balaena mysticetus ), Gray Whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ), North Atlantic Right Whale ( Eubalaena glacialis ), Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeanglieae ), Blue Whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ), Fin Whale ( Balaenoptera physalis ), Fish or Sei Whale ( Balaenoptera borealis ), and Little Piked or Minke Whale ( Balaenoptera acutirostrata ). Potential threats to marine mammals in southern • Chukotka are oil and gas development on the continental shelf, lack of coastal protected areas, uncontrolled development of ecotourism, poaching, and loss of species and habitats from trawling and overharvesting. The marine mammal observations support the • development of training in traditional marine hunting practices and community monitoring (See Education and Training - Section 6.1, Activity 3, and Community-based Monitoring - Section 6.2, Activity 3).

Alexander Kondratyev