North Slope bearded seal hunters asked to save jaws for 2026 study

North Slope Borough wildlife officials are asking bearded seal hunters to save the jaw or head from every bearded seal harvested on the North Slope for a 2026 research project with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The borough said the project is designed to help develop a genetic-based method to estimate bearded seal populations. Jaws would be used to collect age information from teeth and genetic information from muscle tissue.

Hunters who can provide a jaw or head are asked to contact Rita Frantz at 907-852-0350 to arrange collection.

Bearded seals are an important subsistence species for coastal Alaska communities. ADF&G describes bearded seals as one of Alaska's ice seal species, managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and co-managed by the Ice Seal Committee.

The borough is calling the effort the "2026 Special Bearded Seal Project," a collaboration between North Slope Borough Wildlife and ADF&G.