Polar Bear - Population & Distribution

Several polar bear populations were decimated by unsustainable hunting by European, Russian and American hunters and trappers from the 1600s through to the mid-1970's, when commercial hunting was strictly regulated following the 1973 signing of an international agreement on polar bear conservation.

Current Population and Distribution
Polar bears are among the few large carnivores that are still found in roughly their original habitat and range, and in some places in roughly their natural numbers. Now most populations have returned to healthy numbers, though there are large uncertainties regarding some that are still harvested quite heavily and others for which information is lacking. There are believed to be at least 22,000 polar bears worldwide, and about 60% of these are in Canada. They are found in 20 more or less distinct populations.

Polar bear populations can be found in northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway and Russia, and there have been reports that polar bear tracks have been found as far north as the North Pole, although scientists believe few bears travel beyond 82 ° north latitude. The northern Arctic Ocean has little food for them.

The general status of polar bears is currently stable, though there are differences between the populations. Some are stable, some seem to be increasing, and some are decreasing due to various pressures. The status of several populations is not well documented.