Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Coral Harbour (Aug 14/00) - Only a day after getting the final approvals, bowhead hunters found success.

They harvested one bowhead whale near the community last week, only four days into the third bowhead whale hunt since the signing of the Nunavut land claim agreement in 1993.

Hunters were operating out of a base camp near Expectation Point on Southampton Island, about 120 km from Coral Harbour, when a whale from the Hudson-Foxe Basin population was harpooned and brought to shore.

The whale is now being skinned and cut up for a territory-wide distribution of the muktaaq.

In the days leading up to the kill, spotters constantly scanned the waters with binoculars, looking for any signs of bowheads.

Little to no water traffic was permitted while spotters were looking for whales and only when one was spotted would the boats be launched.

The licence that gave the 10 members of the Coral Harbour hunt committee the go-ahead to start actively pursuing one whale was officially issued on Aug. 8.

On Aug. 10, Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials gave their final inspection and approval of the whaling equipment.

The next day, the whale was landed.

DFO on hand

Two DFO officials remained with the hunters to ensure the hunt plan was being followed and to take scientific evidence once the whale was caught.

On the day the licence was issued, hunt committee chairperson Louie Bruce said they were not concerned with when the month-and-a-half long permit expired.

"We are only concerned with when we can start; we're not interested in when it ends," said Bruce, whose father Mikitok Bruce is the hunt captain and an experienced whaler.

Back in Coral Harbour, the community was buzzing with activity.

Several more charters began flying and boating into the Kivalliq community on the weekend -- 15 elders from Rankin Inlet flew in Saturday in order to partake in the celebrations.

Acting senior administrative officer Emelda Angootealuk said a committee is organizing a feast, dances and games.

"There are so many things going on right now, the community is very excited," she said.

The daughter of Mikitok Bruce said she and the community were anxiously awaiting the return of the hunters.

"It's been really rainy and windy and no-one has been able to come back yet," said Rosemary Sandy on Saturday morning from her father's house.

"Everyone is very excited and we're getting ready to have tea and games as soon as they get back."

Although the hunt was conducted in the Coral Harbour area with local hunters, the muktaaq from the whale will be distributed among Nunavut's 26 communities.

The first hunt was held in 1996 in Repulse Bay and the second was held in 1998 in Cumberland Sound.