Iqaluit (May 08/06) - Three species of Arctic wildlife face uncertain futures, according to a pair of conservation groups.

The Atlantic walrus was assessed as a species of special concern, while the snow-white ivory gull is listed as endangered in a report from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The committee recommends changes to the federal Species at Risk Act.

Walrus, polar bear, ivory gull face growing threats, say wildlife groups - NNSL file photo

"The walrus are in trouble," said Andrew Trites, director of the marine mammal research unit at the University of British Columbia.

"COSEWIC is waving a bright red warning flag that the walrus is in trouble and needs our help."

However, Iglulik walrus hunter Judah Sarpinak said he hasn't noticed a decline in walrus numbers.

"There are times when they are less, but it's different every year," he said. "They are always on the move and there are times when certain spots have more than others."

The committee's study indicated walrus populations in the High Arctic are only a few per cent of what they were in the early 1900s, though it admits scientists need to further study herd size, movements and the impact of hunting.

"The species is near to qualifying for threatened status and requires an effective plan to manage hunting," the study reads.

Trites said there could be fewer than 15,000 walrus left, but that figure was "cobbled together" from several older studies. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) needs to count the number of walrus in the Baffin region, he said.

Joe Tigullaraq, chair of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, said High Arctic walrus stocks are strong compared to Atlantic Canada. But he agrees there needs to be more research done on Arctic stocks.

"Walrus stocks are not that well known, (but) there's no requirement for a recovery strategy to be initiated," he said.

Nunavummiut hunters harvested an average of more than 330 walrus per year between 1996 and 2001, according to the most recent figures available. That number can also vary widely.

Nearly three-quarters of the annual walrus catch is done in Iglulik and Hall Beach.

Last Tuesday, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), declared the polar bear a vulnerable species that is "set to become one of the most notable casualties of global warming" because summer sea ice in the Arctic is expected to decline by 50 to 100 per cent over the next century.

The snow white ivory gull had its status changed to endangered after researchers noticed an 80 per cent drop in numbers over a 20-year period. The COSEWIC report says the gull faces pressure from a contaminated food chain, continued hunting in Greenland, breeding sites disrupted by mining exploration and climate change.