Loss of sea ice leads walruses to early appearance in Alaska

Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to abarrier island on Alaska's northwest coast, the earliest appearanceof the animals in a phenomenon tied to climate warming anddiminished Arctic Ocean sea ice.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday thatseveral hundred walruses were spotted during the first week ofAugust near the village of Point Lay on the Chukchi Sea. Last week,the number had grown to 2,000, said spokeswoman Andrea Medeiros inan email response to questions.

It's the earliest date for the arrival, known as a "haulout,"to form, the agency said. Walruses from now until early fall are
expected to use the barrier island and other locations along thecoast as resting areas as they move to and from feeding areas.

Walrus dive hundreds of feet to eat clams on the ocean bottom,but they cannot swim indefinitely. While adult females dive, sea icegives calves a safe resting place, with plenty of space to see theapproach of predators such as polar bears.

In winter, the southern edge of sea ice is in the Bering Sea. Astemperatures warm, ice recedes north all the way through the BeringStrait into the Chukchi Sea. Walruses stay on the edge, and they usethe ice as a sort of conveyor belt that continually moves over newocean bottom.

With global warming, however, sea ice in recent years has meltedmuch farther north, beyond the shallow continental shelf, over watermore than 3,050 metresdeep. That's far too deep forwalruses to reach the ocean bottom.

Instead of staying on sea ice over the deep water, walruses havecome to shore, sometimes gathering in herds of more than 35,000.

High numbers make animals vulnerable to stampede

Walruses packed shoulder to shoulder in large numbers face thethreat of a stampede. If a herd is startled by a polar bear, hunter,airplane or boat, the animals rush to the safety of the ocean, oftencrushing smaller walruses.

Observers from Point Lay told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicethey already have seen three to five dead animals.

"It was kind of heartbreaking to see that these animals werebeing wasted this way, in this manner," said Leo Ferreira III,
tribal president, in an interview taped by the agency. "We'retrying to protect the walruses from disturbance by aircraft, boat,and ship activity in our area."

The village and the agency actively discourage people flying tothe village to photograph the walruses.

Pacific walruses are hunted for food by residents of Point Layand other villages