Is sport hunting or subsistence harvesting of polar bears legal today?
Hunting polar bears is prohibited by Norway and Russia, although some illegal harvest is occurring in Russia. Canada and Greenland allow subsistence take by Native communities as well as regulated sport hunting of certain populations. In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits sport hunting, but subsistence harvest of polar bears by Alaskan Natives is allowed. A user group management agreement is in place between the Inupiat of Alaska and the Inuvialuit of Canada to help ensure that subsistence harvest of the shared Beaufort Sea polar bear population is sustainable. Legislation to implement a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia, which would provide for joint management and regulation of harvest of shared populations in the Chukchi Sea, has passed Congress and is now awaiting presentation to the President for signature.
