FROM: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICESPolar Bear
Polar bears are the largest carnivores and a unique symbol of the Arctic. Nineteen populations of polar bears are distributed in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. The world wide population is estimated to be 22,000-25,000 bears. Two populations occur in Alaska: the southern Beaufort Sea stock, shared with Canada; and the Bering Chukchi/Seas stock, shared with the Russian Federation (Range Map)
In Alaska, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects polar bears by prohibiting "take" of polar bears. The MMPA provides for specific exceptions to the prohibition on taking, including a provision that allows Alaska Natives to hunt polar bears for subsistence and the creation of handicrafts.
World wide, polar bear populations remain relatively stable; however, climate change, contamination of the Arctic environment, potential over-harvest, and increasing human development in polar bear habitat pose conservation challenges for polar bears.
On May 15, 2008, the Service published a Final Rule in the Federal Register listing the polar bear as a threatened species throughout their global range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This listing was based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. The Service is currently developing a Conservation/Recovery Plan for polar bears.
Last updated: November 1, 2011
