Tuktoyaktuk (Oct 16/06) - Merven Gruben, deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, remembers standing in his community's harbour on Oct. 6 of last year, with both feet planted firmly on solid ice.

Today that might seem hard to believe.

While it's mid-October, Tuktoyaktuk's bay is still liquid and flowing. This is bad news, Gruben said, because it will effect everything from hunting to fishing to construction of ice roads.

For some strange reason, the water levels are also lower in the Beaufort Sea community. Gruben said the lower sea level could be attributed to a strong easterly wind.

"None of the elders have seen this in their lifetime," he said. "We should be skating and ski-dooing out on the bay like we were doing last year."

According to Environment Canada, the weather in Tuktoyaktuk has been mild this year.

While temperatures have dipped below the freezing point several times this month, they have not been cold enough to create any ice, especially in seawater.

On Thanksgiving Day, the temperature in Tuktoyaktuk was 0C. Last year, on the same date, it was -13C.

Gruben said hunters and fishers from Tuktoyaktuk will be affected, as warm temperatures keep waters flowing.

He said people depend on the ice to hunt caribou and ptarmigan, which populate nearby areas. Without the ice, he said, the hunt will be delayed and there's a chance the animals might leave.

Furthermore, he said, the traditional herring harvest might be cancelled because people can't throw their lines far enough if they can't walk on ice.

"It's too windy for boats, so there's no herring fishing going on at all," Gruben said.

Last year, the ice road to Tuktoyaktuk was delayed until January.

Gruben said that stalled the arrival of cargo trucks and construction supplies, dampening the hamlet's economy,

"In one way, it made it easier for us to do construction work, because the temperatures are warmer," he said.

But while it might be nice to walk around in a light jacket instead of a parka, Gruben said he believes the warm temperatures are evidence of climate change.

"I have only lived here 44 years, but I think it's changed pretty steadily," he said.

"I think it's happening. You can clearly see, things are different."

"We used to have -40C weather pretty regularly. Now you only get it once in a while."

Tuktoyaktuk isn't the only community on the Beaufort Sea without ice.

David Haogak of Sachs harbour said the weather "is about two weeks behind last year". Temperatures haven't dropped enough to freeze seawater.

He said this will affect the char, arctic cod and sculpin harvest, which usually happens in early October.

Merle Thrasher, of the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Association, said residents of the town are also waiting for the freeze.

"We had some ice in the bay, but some strong winds and rain finished it off," he said.

Now, he said, fishermen will have to wait for the freeze so they can walk on the water and cast their lines.

In Holman, bylaw enforcement officer Allan Pogotak said the water hadn't frozen in the bay.

However, he said it wasn't a big problem because people prefer to fish in the lake.