BookReviews03.indd 209Book reviews 2004: Polar Research 23(2), 209–213 Book reviews Review of “Marine Mammals of Svalbard” by K. M. Kovacs, I. Gjertz & C. Lydersen (2004). Tromsø: Norwegian Polar Institute. Iv + 60 pp. ISBN 82-7666-208-0. William F. Perrin Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fish- eries, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037-1508, USA This slim but elegant volume fi lls a clear need. As the frequency of expeditions and tourist travel to Spitsbergen and the other islands of Svalbard increases, more and more observations of marine mammals are being made, and there has been no single convenient guide to their identifi cation. The book provides common (English, French, German and Norwegian) and scientifi c names, species description and information on distri- bution, abundance, general ecology, reproduc- tion and life history, diet, exploitation and man- agement, and current status for the polar bear, fi ve species of seals, the walrus, and 12 spe- cies of whales and dolphins that can be seen in the waters of Svalbard. High-quality portraits (painted by Pieter Folkens) and photographs are included for each species. The at-sea photographs of cetaceans are especially helpful. The authors have done an outstanding job of summarizing the scattered technical literature on these ani- mals in clear terms understandable by all. This is aided by a glossary of 80 terms. The accounts are packed with interesting details of life history, behavior and ecology usually not encountered in a fi eld guide. A few technical quibbles are in order. The con- servation picture for some arctic marine mammals may not be quite as rosy as implied by the state- ment that “most harvesting is performed within sustainable limits”, especially for the white whale and narwhal. For example, recent studies esti- mate that present abundance of white whales in West Greenland is approximately 20 % of that in 1954 and that continuation of recent catch levels will pose a 90 % risk of extirpation in 20 years. Similarly, it is estimated that continued hunts of narwhals at present levels may result in extinc- tion in West Greenland in the near future; present abundance is only 15 % of that estimated to exist in 1986. While the situation in Norwegian waters may be stable, serious over-exploitation of Arctic marine mammals in the Atlantic is not strictly a thing of the past. The bowhead was not the fi rst great whale to be depleted by whaling, as stated. That dubious honour belongs to the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), which was depleted before the 17th century by the early Basque land-based whalers, who also may have played a major role in extermination of the Atlantic population of the gray whale, another shore-frequenting species. The “resident, transient and offshore” eco- types described in the killer whale account were named and studied in the North Pacifi c; ecotypes in other regions such as the North Atlantic may have different characteristics of preferred prey or social structure. The North Pacifi c “resident” designation is actually a misnomer, the resident ecotype is not resident in one area year round, as the account suggests, but ranges widely in the winter; Puget Sound residents have been sighted off California. The authors depart from the current most widely accepted taxonomic usage (Rice 1998), 210 Book reviews in using Phoca hispida rather than Pusa hispida for the ringed seal and Phoca groenlandica rather than Pagophilus groenlandicus for the harp seal, but this can be a matter of personal preference; there is in fact no “offi cial” world list of scientif- ic names. There is very little to criticize and much to laud in the production and editing of the book. I could fi nd only one typographical error (Ridg- way’s name is spelled wrong in the list of recom- mended readings). The binding is fi ne, and the photographic illustrations and other graphics are superb. A quick-identifi cation sheet and forms for reporting sightings are provided in a pocket at the back. This guide should provide good and long service in the fi eld and may result in collection and collation of sightings potentially useful to the scientifi c understanding of these fascinating animals. It is highly recommended for accurate information on the marine mammals one is likely to encounter in and around the far-northern arctic territories of Norway. Review of Marine mammals of Svalbard, by K. M. Kovacs, I. Gjertz & C. Lydersen Olle Melander The Swedish Tourist Authority, Box 860, SE–101 37 Stockholm, Sweden. Every year, tourists converge on Svalbard hoping to catch sight of the big marine mammals. But most tourists are not zoologists. For a tempo- rary visitor, it is no easy task to recognize marine mammals. Of course polar bears and walruses are easy to distinguish—and they also top the visitor’s wish list—but tourists also want to see seals and especially whales. These animals seldom “pose” the way polar bears and walruses sometimes do. They may give you no more than a brief glimpse and then leave you wondering: What was that? How big is a seal? What does it eat? As of last summer, tourists and tour guides have a new way of fi nding answers to their ques- tions about Svalbard’s fauna: Kovacs et al. Marine Mammals of Svalbard. But there are already sev- eral fi eld guides and a substantial body of scien- tifi c literature. Does this book add anything new? This is an appealing book in terms of design, size, text and content. It is just the right size to take along with you, and just the right thickness to invite reading. The book itself is too big to shove into your pocket, but just inside the back cover you will fi nd an identifi cation sheet with drawings of the animals. At least you can always carry the ID sheet with you. Passengers on cruise ships will not fi nd the book’s size any problem. It can be kept close at hand in case you want to read up on ani- mals that have been observed. The authors are knowledgeable. The descrip- tions of the animals are clear and comprehensi- ble. The language is precise and formulated with scientifi c caution. Known facts are described with care; if uncertainties remain, this is stated. The book is clearly organized and its structure easy to grasp. Information is presented consistently under the same headings for each individual species. This makes it easy to fi nd one’s way around in the book. It contains more photographs and drawings than other, similar books. The photographs are not all of top quality, but here perhaps the publisher is more to blame than the authors. Even though the book is entitled Marine Mammals of Sval- bard, it contains general information and glimps- es of other parts of these animals’ ranges. Thus it can be of use even to people who are not visiting Svalbard specifi cally. As the book states in several places, informa- tion concerning the range, population, etc. of the marine mammals is uncertain. The authors, whose research fi eld is the mammals of Svalbard, give modest population estimates. Is this an expression of scientifi c conservatism? How uncertain are the estimates? More knowledge is needed, and in the preface, the authors hope readers visiting Svalbard will be inspired to report the animals they see by sending in the sighting sheet tucked into a sleeve at the end of the book. Though the aim is admira- ble, the authors bungle the job a bit by not giving clear reasons for the data collection. In addition, the sighting sheet is enormous, providing over 50 lines on which to report observations. What tour- ist has the stamina —or the luck—to make that many observations? One is reluctant to report a few scattered observations, which is all one usual- ly gets on a short tourist outing. A postcard-sized reporting sheet, with the address pre-printed, and with a brief explanation of what the data will be used for, would inspire much more participation. In addition, many tourists visit Svalbard more than once, though a few years may pass between visits. 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