Dozens of narwhal harvested
Trapped creatures near Pond Inlet provide country food bounty
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Saturday, December 12, 2015
MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET
Hundreds of trapped narwhal near Pond Inlet are providing an early-Christmas bounty of country food.
An estimated 176 narwhal, photographed during a Department of Fisheries and Oceans study, had been harvested near Pond Inlet, where the animals became trapped in the sea ice. - photo courtesy of Blair Dunn/Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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"While the full number entrapped is still unknown, 176 narwhal have been landed since the humane harvest started on Dec. 5," stated Rosaleen O'Mahony, communications advisory with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans last week.
Rumours of the trapped narwhal spread in November, at which time the federal department began an investigation along with the Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization. The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and Government of Nunavut joined to try to confirm the reported sightings and assess the situation.
The DFO chartered an aircraft with the Department of National Defence to conduct an overflight of the entrapment area. The local HTO and DFO then confirmed the presence of narwhal trapped by sea ice in Eclipse Sound, near Pond Inlet.
"After consultation with the community and our co-management partners, and having exhausted all possible rescue options, the minister (Hunter Tootoo) has accepted the decision of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board to authorize a humane harvest," stated O'Mahony. "This decision was not made lightly and was decided upon using the best available information from leading marine mammal experts and co-management partners."
The humane harvest is allowing the community to use a resource that would otherwise be lost naturally, and it will also prevent the prolonged suffering and eventual death of the narwhal when their breathing holes become covered by ice.
DFO staff in Pond Inlet are monitoring the situation and collaborating with the wildlife board, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the territorial government on the situation.
"Fisheries and Oceans scientists are also taking samples from the narwhals to investigate things like diet, reproductive history, health, and stock structure," stated O'Mahony. "All this information helps us better understand the stock and provide science advice."
The total number of narwhal harvested and what the next steps are concerning meat and tusk distribution will be known once the harvest is completed.
The Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization said it couldn't comment until the harvest had been finished.
A video posted to social media showed about a dozen narwhal constantly breaching for air in a hole about the size of a living room. The video, shot during the night, showed blood on the ice lining the hole, evidence likely of the harvest having started.
The talk went beyond Pond Inlet, though.
Clyde River Mayor Jerry Natanine said he's hoping to hear word from the Government of Nunavut about funding for shipping some of the highly sought-after maaqtaq should his community be so lucky.
People in other communities have expressed an interest in receiving a share of the maaqtaq.
