Scubaism

Dozens of walrus carcasses missing their heads and valuable tusks have been discovered on western Alaska beaches in recent weeks, and federal wildlife authorities are trying to figure out whether they were killed illegally.

Investigators flying over Norton Sound beaches east of Nome counted 79 walrus carcasses in about a 40-mile stretch between Elim and Unalakleet, said Steve Oberholtzer, a special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage. Large numbers of headless walruses have washed ashore in the area before, but this is the most investigators have seen in at least 10 years, Oberholtzer said.

Only Alaska Natives can legally hunt walruses for subsistence, but they must salvage a “substantial portion” of the animal, including the heart, liver, flippers and some red meat. Headless walrus carcasses immediately raise questions about poaching. But the investigation does not necessarily mean anyone broke the law, Oberholtzer said.

Natives value walruses as a source of subsistence meat, said Vera Metcalf, head of the Eskimo Walrus Commission in Nome. The group works with the government to manage walrus populations and promote proper harvests. The tusks provide an important source of income in many cash-strapped villages for artists who sell ivory handicrafts, she said.

Natives shooting walruses usually follow the law, but not always, Oberholtzer said. They’ve occasionally been prosecuted for killing the animals just for their tusks. Anyone — Native or not — can legally collect the tusks of dead walruses they’ve found, but they must get a permit from Fish and Wildlife within 30 days after the tusks are removed, Oberholtzer said.