What is the current status of world polar bear populations?
The total number of polar bears worldwide is estimated to be 20,000-25,000. Within Alaska, there are an estimated 4,700 animals shared with Canada and Russia in three populations – 1,500 in the Southern Beaufort Sea, 1,200 in the Northern Beaufort Sea, and 2,000 in the Chukchi Sea. The former two populations are shared with Canada, and the latter with Russia. There are no overall data on global polar bear population trends. However, long-term scientific studies in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay have identified reduced adult weights and cub survivorship, resulting in a decline of that population to an estimated 935 animals — a 22% decline — correlated with loss of sea ice. More recent studies of the estimated 1,200 individuals in the Southern Beaufort Sea population in Alaska do not currently show a statistically significant decline, but this population is now experiencing the same pattern of reduced adult weights and cub survival as Western Hudson Bay. While such detailed studies are no
