Native people of the Arctic have depended on Walruses for food, hides, ivory and bones since first contact, and subsistence harvests of both subspecies continue today in most parts of their ranges. All Walrus populations were severely depleted by episodic commercial hunting that was heaviest from the 18th through to the mid-20th centuries.

Direct conflicts with fisheries are uncommon (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2002); however, trawl fisheries could disturb important benthic feeding areas (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 2006). Human disturbance at land-based haul-out sites, low-level aircraft over-flights and near-shore passage of vessels can have serious effects on Walruses out of the water, as they are highly susceptible to disturbance and easily panicked into stampedes (Fay and Kelly 1980).

Global warming and any associated reduction in the extent, timing, and characteristics of seasonal sea ice cover could negatively affect Walruses, especially the Pacific population. Declining sea ice reduces suitable strata for pupping and breeding aggregation and limits access to offshore feeding areas (Tynan and DeMaster 1997, Moore 2005, Laidre et al. in press). In the Atlantic where the use of coastal haulouts is more widespread, reduced sea ice cover could increase feeding opportunities for Walruses (Born 2005).

Reduction in sea ice could also lead to the addition of commercial sea lanes in currently rarely visited portions of the Walruses’ range, with increased risk of spills and discharge of pollutants, disturbance and coastal development (Reijnders et al. 1993, Tynan and Demaster 1997, Moore 2005). A history of poor international cooperation, crude population monitoring methods and delayed management responses has led to speculation that future management actions in response to population declines of Pacific Walruses may not be taken soon enough to be effective (Fay et al. 1989).