Oakley Cochran
Northern News Services

GRISE FIORD (Jun 28/99) - Residents of Grise Fiord have been harvesting, and helping, a group of beluga whales trapped in sea ice 81 kilometres from the hamlet.

Around 50 whales were caught in several open holes in April when a cold spell caused the rapid spread of sea ice, and since then polar bears have killed 15 or so.

The entrapment was discovered late last month by a father and son out bear hunting.

Locals harpooned about 15 of the most sick and injured whales -- those with the deepest claw marks and missing the largest chunks of flesh from their encounters with bears -- and harvested their meat and matak.

But according to renewable resources officer Seeglook Akeeagok, "The matak doesn't look good, even to an Inuk," and the healthier whales, which are also heavily scarred but have less flesh missing, have been left untouched.

Instead locals, under the auspices of Grise Fiord's hunting and trapping organization, made half a dozen new breathing holes for the whales, Akeeagok said.

Locals have made several trips out to the site, which is a five-hour snowmachine ride from the hamlet, and Akeeagok continues to monitor the situation.

Initially, Akeeagok and other locals hoped that, by strategic placement of the holes, the whales could be led to open water.

Residents also tried to scare off the bears, locals said. No bears have been harvested because the hunting season has closed, Akeeagok said.

But despite these efforts, the situation hasn't ameliorated for the belugas.

The whales have declined to use half of the new holes, which have now frozen over. Instead, they come up for air in three small holes, all recently made by locals, said photographer and student Russell Akeeagok, Seeglook's nephew.

They scorn their original hole, which is surrounded by carcasses, and it has frozen over. "It's fear," said Luti Pijamini, a local guide and hunter. "They don't want to reuse that hole."