Gjoa Haven polar bear hunters appeal to government
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Gjoa Haven (Jan 29/01) - Hunters and communities looking for solutions to the M'Clintock polar bear crisis were looking for help when Sustainable Development Minister Olayuk Akesuk came calling last week.
What they got was a promise that the government will see what it can do to lessen the impact of a reduce polar bear quota and pending moratorium.
The quota cuts are being imposed because the polar bear population is almost half of what it was believed to be.
In Gjoa Haven, where hunters and guides depend upon the M'Clintock bears for food, culture and income, mayor Joseph Aglukkaq said the community needs help now.
"We will feel it this year. It's going to affect us this year," said Aglukkaq.
"I'm hoping they do something. I'm sure they have a surplus somewhere and that they can help us out. It's something they're obligated to do."
Akesuk called his visit to Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay and Taloyoak "productive."
Akesuk organized the trip so he could listen to the concerns the hunters and the sport hunting guides had about the reduction and the moratorium and the economic impact the decision has. Guides earn between $10,000 and $20,000 per hunt and usually take two hunters per season.
He brought nothing to offer the communities or their hunters other than a promise of support.
"We've got to check and see how much money we could spend.
"We don't have figures yet and it's too early to make a judgment," said Akesuk.
"We will be aggressive. We will look into the solutions as soon as possible. I can't say how long it's going to take, but I don't want to take too long," he said.
Hunters in some communities could look to other areas to supplement their polar bear harvest.
Akesuk said hunters from Taloyoak could benefit from increasing the harvest quota in the nearby Boothia Peninsula management zone.
Hunters and guides in Cambridge Bay can hunt in the Viscount-Melville management zone.
They already plan to conduct four sport hunts there this year.
