So I wake this morning to find two stories about walruses in my Twitter feed. Why the sudden interest. There doesn't appear to be any news as such, but the Associated Press are telling readers that there is a steep decline in the walrus harvest in Alaska:
Hunters and scientists say walrus migration patterns are veering from historical hunting grounds as temperatures warm and the ocean ice used by the animals to dive and rest recedes farther north. Village elders also tell biologists the wind is blowing in new directions. In 2013, a late-season icepack clustered around St. Lawrence Island, blocking hunters from the sea.
Meanwhile the Washington Post is discussing the possibility of another mass haulout of walruses of the type that caught the public interest this time last year.
Last September, the remote community of Point Lay on Alaska’s North Slope became the focus of headline news when a staggering 35,000 walruses crowded onto the shore nearby. And now, some scientists are saying a similar event could happen this summer — in fact, any time now.
Now as BH readers know, there is little or no correlation between walrus haulouts and sea ice levels and the haulouts. The best bet is that walruses are doing rather too well and the haulouts are function of overpopulation. This is actually confirmed by the AP article, if you make it to the end:
There's no shortage of walrus, [hunter Robert Soolook said], but they're migrating sooner. No one has initiated any long-range planning to address the shift, but Soolook believes hunters eventually will need to change their practices, even going out earlier.
So to the extent that the sea ice decline is anthropogenic, there seems to be little effect on walruses and minor adaptations look as though they will deal with any knock-on effects on humans.
Guilt trip over.