Abstract 316 – Tales from a Polar Bear Genetic Mark-Recapture Survey in the Canadian Beaufort Sea

Faye d'Eon-Eggertson, Steven Baryluk, Jodie Pongracz, Mike Suitor

Polar bears are a high-profile species of international concern, which are classified as
vulnerable due to sea ice habitat loss resulting from climate change. Of the 19 polar bear
subpopulations worldwide, 13 occur within Canada. These subpopulations are periodically
assessed to evaluate if there have been changes to their abundance, distribution, and
demographic parameters. The purpose of this study is to provide updated abundance estimates
for the Southern Beaufort Sea and Northern Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulations, which
were last estimated in 2006 as having 1,215 and 1,291 bears respectively. This presentation
recaps four years of collaborative field efforts between 2019-2023, coordinated across the
Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories in Canada as well as Alaska in the United States.
Coordinating across jurisdictions should improve our population estimates of these highly
mobile animals. For this study, Canadian crews flew more than 95,000 km over the frozen
Beaufort Sea and conducted a genetic mark-recapture survey using biopsy darting. The data
from this survey will be combined with estimates of demographic and reproductive parameters,
spatiotemporal distribution, and environmental covariates into an integrated population model
to generate a population estimate for these subpopulations. The results of this study will
inform Inuit, governments and co-management partners about current population status and
trends of these subpopulations, which can help inform decisions about polar bear management
and ensure the long-term conservation of this species.