Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Coral Harbour (Jun 28/00) - The final selection of those participating in the upcoming Coral Harbour bowhead whale hunt is complete. Elder and experienced whaler, Mikitok Bruce, has been selected as hunt captain and will be in charge of many of the decisions governing the hunt. He will be joined by a committee of 10.

But despite the progress, they are still in the process of discovering the ins and outs of holding the hunt this summer or waiting until 2001.

Given approval by the minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at the end of May, the president of the local Hunters and Trappers Organization says the community wants the hunt to happen this summer.

"Right now we're pretty well planned for this summer," said William Nakoolak. "But the decision will be made at a public meeting at the end of this month."

In order to be ready to hunt a whale from the Hudson-Foxe Basin population this summer, the committee will have to prepare a comprehensive hunt plan that includes weapon choice, hauling methods, the number of vessels and crew and how the whale will be butchered.

"Everyone here is very excited, everyone is talking about it -- we're expecting a lot of people to go and see it," said Nakoolak.

"We already have all of the equipment used in the Pangnirtung hunt."

That equipment includes shoulder guns, harpoons guns, floats, pulleys, ropes and other essentials that aid in making whaling efficient.

Once the hunt plan is complete, it is reviewed by the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and DFO. The two groups must then approve the plan.

"The committee thought the first week in August, on Aug. 7, would be the day, but we won't really know until the meeting at the end of the month," said Nakoolak.

"Hopefully, it will happen this summer, but if not, next summer."

Approving Coral Harbour for the hunt marks the third time Inuit have been given permission to harvest a bowhead whale since the signing of the Land Claim agreement in 1993.

The first hunt, in Repulse Bay, came with a price tag of $150,000. The second one, in Pangnirtung, cost $50,000.