This 1973 agreement between the governments of Canada, Denmark, Norway, USSR, and the United States recognizes the responsibilities of the circumpolar countries for coordination of actions to protect polar bears.
The agreement commits the signatories to manage polar bear populations in accordance with sound conservation practices; prohibits hunting, killing, and capturing bears except for limited purposes and by limited methods, and commits all parties to protect the ecosystems of polar bears, especially denning and feeding areas and migration corridors.
The agreement was signed by the United States on November 15, 1973, ratified on September 30, 1976, and entered into force in this country on November 1, 1976.
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