Observation: The walrus are moving north. They are hauling out at Cape Greig. Just in the past year. They typically haul out at Round Island.
LEO says: Round Island is part of the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary (WISGS). The reason for the change in haul out location is of great interest. Also, when the walrus move to a new area, it is important both for the protection of walrus and because of the rules that apply in the vicinity of walrus herds. We have shared this observation with the ADF&G Marine Mammals Program, as well as with wildlife research staff at USGS.
Alaska Science Center Consult: Research Wildlife Biologist David Douglas writes, "It would certainly be curious if Round Island was abandoned, in favor of Point Greig; however, intermittent use of Point Greig does not seem to be unusual in and of itself." Source: United States Geological Survey
Division of Wildlife Conservation Consult: Lands and Refuge Manager Edward Weiss writes, "Pacific walrus have begun hauling out at Cape Greig as of last year, 2016, and continue to do so this year. As with other haulouts in Bristol Bay these walrus come and go on a daily basis to feeding areas within Bristol Bay and may be gone for several days at a time. Thus numbers vary quite a bit day to day. While no detailed counts have been conducted in general there appears to be around 2,000 walrus using the site on a regular basis.
In recorded history walrus have used, either permanently or sporadically, a number of sites throughout Bristol Bay. As noted these have been compiled nicely by the USGS in their Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulout Database. The haulouts in Bristol Bay are summer seasonal haulouts primarily used by male walrus. These male walrus move into Bristol Bay from the Bering Sea in late spring, after the mating season, as the rest of the population moves north following the sea ice edge into northern Alaska, Russia and the Arctic Ocean.
In recent history (1960 forward) there have been five primary haulouts that have been used: Round Island within the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary, Cape Peirce, Cape Newenham and Hagemeister Island within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape Seniavin on the Alaska Peninsula south of Port Heiden. And now at Cape Greig. Prior studies have shown that these male walruses move between these haulouts while feeding in Bristol Bay during the summer. As fall and early winter approaches, these male walrus move north and west to meet up with the females, calves and other males which follow the ice edge south into the Bering Sea. So in addition to the movements between haulouts related to feeding and summering; they also move between haulouts as they migrate.
Round Island has certainly not been abandoned. In all likelihood these walrus are moving back and forth between both sites, as well as others. Walrus are still using Round Island on a daily basis. The last three years our peak and average numbers of walrus at Round Island have been lower than normal. But we still have up to 2,500 or so using the various haulouts at Round Island. No organized counts of either Cape Seniavin or Cape Greig have been done in the last few years so I can’t say how many are using those sites for sure. However, based on the few photos I have seen there appears to be fewer walrus hauling out at Cape Seniavin than Cape Greig. So there is the possibility that a number of these walrus are ones that might typically haul out at Cape Seniavin and have moved northward to the Cape Greig site.
The reference to “walrus moving north” connected to the observation may be misleading. Particularly when placed in reference to them normally hauling out at Round Island. Technically, most of the other regularly used sites within Bristol Bay (Round Island, Cape Peirce, Cape Newenham, Hagemeister Island) are north of Cape Greig. If referring to them moving north from Cape Seniavin this may be correct, however, as I mentioned we just don’t have any data to confirm that.
I would caution statements that may attribute this move to climate change. Fact is we just don’t know why they move to or among different haulouts. It may be for a number of different reasons including changes in food resources, changes in the population, changes in the haulout site, group or herding dynamics, or excessive disturbances, etc. Now that walrus have been using the Cape Greig site I would expect that they may continue to use the site as well as the other traditional haulouts; but it’s hard to say for how long. They just began reusing the Hagemeister Island site in 2005, but are still using that. And use at Cape Peirce and Cape Newenham has diminished over the years." Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Resources: David Douglas shared two resources relating to walrus haulout. One resource is the Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulout Database which shows where walrus haulouts may be found. A background report to the Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulout Databse is also available. The background report gives Pacific Walrus species information, as well as a summary of Pacific Walrus haulout locations. Locations were identified through available reports, interviews with coastal residents and aviators, and personal observations of the
authors.
Media:
Alaska Dispatch News – (2014-09-08) Pacific walrus population dropped drastically in 1980s-90s, study indicates. Author: Yereth Rosen 🕘 Updated: May 31, 2016
