Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Apr 24/00) - It's easy to see how much Ben Kovic likes his job, especially when he talks about things like being able to fund research proposals.

There is no question Kovic was feeling satisfied at the conclusion of the recent Nunavut Wildlife Management Board's 25th regular meeting.

As the chair of the Nunavut-wide regulatory body, Kovic played a role in reviewing and granting money to several upcoming research projects.

Of the 15 new research proposals the board received from various government departments, they chose 10 to fund. Combined with eight previously approved projects, about $700,000 was designated for research.

"The research trust allocations seem to be always exciting," said Kovic, referring to the source of money that will bring the projects to reality.

In 1993, when the land claim was negotiated, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development gave the NWMB a one-time grant of $11 million, he says.

The board received the money in 1995 and immediately invested it. Five years later, the amount has grown to about $16 million and enables the board to fund much-needed wildlife research in Nunavut.

"We allocated $700,000 to narwhal work, bowhead work in Pelly Bay. We have polar bear work in the central Arctic, arctic char at Pangnirtung, eider ducks in Kitikmeot, caribou in Keewatin and Kitikmeot, in Foxe Basin we've got walrus that needs to be worked on," said Kovic.

He said an additional $200,000 of NWMB's own money would be used to fund community research initiatives.

"The NWMB didn't want to leave out communities that want to do their own studies. We didn't want to leave these communities out of this research. These are some of their priorities," he said.

Other highlights of the three-day meeting included a proposal put forward by the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation to study exploratory snow crab fishing, the new narwhal management system, the need to combine traditional and scientific knowledge, a proposal to hold a bowhead whale hunt in Coral Harbour and the work that needed to be done to change federal and territorial wildlife legislation to make it compliant with the land claim.

A decision on the proposed bowhead hunt will be made later this spring, said Kovic.

The board is scheduled to meet again in Taloyoak, June 12.