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Sport Hunting

Sport hunting of argali by international trophy hunters has been taking place in Kyrgyzstan since at least 1990 (Luschekina and Fedosenko 1994).Show citation box

Hunting Companies. The number of hunting organizations (companies) leading “hunting tours” for Marco Polo argali in Kyrgyzstan has grown in recent years. The hunting industry was formerly run by one organization—Glavokhota. However, in 2000, six or seven organizations were involved in hunting (including the Society for Hunting and Fishing of the Kyrghyz Republic, the State Enterprise “Kyrghyz Too”, and others).Show citation box

Hunting Locations. In previous years we believe that the entire hunting quota was assigned to the Naryn region, which appears to contain one of the largest concentrations of Marco Polo argali in Kyrgyzstan, and which also does not appear to include any of the Tien Shan argali (DSA 1995). Luschekina and Fedosenko (1994) indicated that there were two hunting camps, one named Atabash, which is in the Aksai River Valley, and one named Przhevalsk, which is in the basin of the Uzengikush River. Subsequently, we received information about a hunting area in what appears to be the Alai Valley in the Osh region. The Alai Valley is an area that contained a concentration of argali estimated at 1,890 animals in the 1996 surveys, and therefore should be able to sustain some offtake of trophy animals. During the 1999-2000 hunting season, hunting areas were in the Narynskaya Oblast and in the mountains systems from the southern portion of Issyk-Kul'skaya Oblast to Borkoldoi-Too and Boz-Dzhalpaka, according to T. Alykulov, Minister of Environmental Protection for Kyrgyzstan (in litt. to Teiko Saito, Chief, DMA July 7, 2000).Show citation box

Harvest Quotas. Harvest quotas for sport-hunted trophies of Marco Polo argali have steadily increased in Kyrgyzstan. The 1995 quota for Marco Polo argali was 15 according to Mr. C. Omurakunov of the Kyrgyz Committee of Nature Protection (in litt. to Safari Club International, January 24, 1995). The 1996 quota was 20 (Mr. T. Kulumbaev, Kyrgyz Committee of Nature Conservation in litt. to the Service, February 21, 1996), the 1997 quota was 24 (Mr. Omurakunov in litt. to DMA, 1997), and the 1998 quota was 25. For 1999, Mr. Omurakunov (in litt. to Michael Carpenter, DMA, June 30, 1998) stated that the quota was increased to 40, which, he said, was based on an increasing population trend and expansion of the range of the species within Kyrgyzstan in recent years (although the population appears to have remained relatively stable during that time frame). For 2000, Mr. Alykulov stated that the quota was set at 60.Show citation box

Based on information provided by the Kyrgyz Government, harvest quotas in previous years appear to have been adhered to, and may not have been met in some years. Only 18 argali were hunted under a quota of 20 in 1996. Mr. Omurakunov stated in his 1998 letter that, based on several years' data, only 70-80% of the annual quota was being used on average.Show citation box

Biological Impact of Harvest. Luschekina and Fedosenko (1994) stated “we believe that the size of the argali populations is adequate in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to sustain the pressure of sporting (trophy) hunting within the limits it is currently conducted.” At that time, the Marco Polo population of Kyrgyzstan was estimated at 7,800 animals, while the hunting quota was 18.Show citation box

In our 2000 biological opinion on argali sport hunting in Kyrgyzstan we assessed the biological impact of the harvest quotas for that year (DSA 2001a). We based our assessment on the harvest recommendations of Wegge (1997) and Harris (1993). Wegge (1997) considers that harvesting males within a limit of 10 to 20 percent of the replacement rate for the trophy-sized segment of the population is a safe, conservative level for stable or increasing wild sheep and goat populations. In most cases this is equivalent to less than 4 percent of the total pre-hunting season population (Wegge 1997). Harris (1993) states that a healthy population should be able to sustain an annual “trophy harvest of males, in numbers equivalent to 1-2 percent of the total population size,” without negative consequences to the population. For 2000, the harvest quota of 60 argali represented 0.46% of the estimated total Marco Polo argali population of 13,000. Comparing this figure to the harvest recommendations of Wegge (1997) and Harris (1993), and noting that the Marco Polo argali population in Kyrgyzstan appears to be stable or increasing based on recent survey results, we concluded that the total harvest quota of 60 was conservative and sustainable. We further note that as long as Marco Polo argali population estimates for Kyrgyzstan were correct within ± 50% (i.e., the population is at least 6,000), this quota is below 1 percent of the population.Show citation box
Poaching

Local harvest of argali for sport and/or consumption is prohibited. In previous years illegal hunting was acknowledged to be a persistent problem, especially in remote areas where enforcement is difficult. However, efforts were being made to control poaching, which resulted in poachers being detained and fined. We have been told that the head of the local game management unit accompanies foreign hunters; thus we presume that trophy specimens are legally taken and exported. Some argali populations may suffer locally in areas of military activity or “expeditions,” although these seem to be intermittent and isolated events. In previous years we also noted that the Government of Kyrgyzstan had agreed to strengthen and augment reserve areas. Indeed, Mr. Omurakunov indicated in his May 1997 letter that new reserves had been established. Levels of poaching described by Mr. Omurakunov in 1998 appeared to be relatively low. The level of illegal offtake (poaching) appears to be low enough that total harvest mortality (i.e., illegal harvest and legal sport-hunting harvest) has not exceeded sustainable levels and has not caused the Marco Polo argali population to decline.

http://www.federalregister.gov...status-for-argali-in
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