DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF CANADIAN POLAR BEAR POPULATIONS - A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

Seasonal fidelity to relatively local areas and natural obstacles to m ovements allow the range of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Canada to be divided into 12 relatively distinct populations. These divisions a re not the only ones possible, and may not be the best ones; however, they were consistent with observed movements of marked bears. The aver age area of sea ice (mainly annual ice) that constitutes polar bear ha bitat for populations within and shared with Canada was estimated to t otal approximately 3.1 million km(2) in April each year. The density e stimates of polar bears ranged between 1.1 and 10.4 bears per 1000 km( 2) with a weighted mean of 4.1 bears per 1000 km(2). The sum of polar bear population estimates within or partially within Canada is approxi mately 12 700. However, the available data were insufficient to quanti fy the precision and accuracy of some population estimates.