Iqaluit (Dec 20/04) - The Amarok Hunters' and Trappers' Association and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans plan to find out why last year's harvest saw about 20 beluga whales go unreported.

The most recent figures say only six belugas were harvested last year. But the department (DFO) and the hunters' association (HTA) agree that the number is likely closer to 27.

Beluga harvested in Iqaluit are governed by community-based management.

Under the plan, HTA members decide on the rules and regulations for harvesting, and then have them approved by various levels of government, starting with the DFO.

After a one-year trial period in 1999, a five-year agreement for the community-based management of Iqaluit's belugas was put in place in 2000.

After a kill, hunters have to measure the beluga whale and say where it was caught.

The number of reported animals killed was at or near the total number every year, except this past one, said DFO spokesperson Karen Ditz.

Amarok president Michael Qappik agrees.

"In the beginning, they were doing all that, but last summer it didn't go as planned," said Qappik.

DFO helped put together kits of water-proof books and measuring tapes to help hunters record the necessary information.

Qappik said the group may not have pushed hard enough to distribute the kits last year.

Both sides say a radio system used to call in the information worked well, but a lack of money has since shut down the Coast Guard sponsored program.

One of the reasons there were so many unreported kills may be that with so many new hunters with different dialects coming to Iqaluit every year, not all of them understand the reporting process, Qappik said.

The HTA is considering putting a radio in its office to make it easier for hunters to report beluga kills.

"We just have to try to be flexible and try to find a way that works," Ditz said.

Amarok is planning a special Feb. 7 meeting with HTA members and DFO to discuss all of its bylaws, including those dealing with the community-based management of the belugas.

The current agreement expires at the end of March, but Qappik said the group is asking for more time to talk about its bylaws.