Stock in good shape

DFO to review narwhal survey

Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Repulse Bay (Apr 04/01) - The narwhal numbers are in and experts will soon spend a couple of days reviewing the final results.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans will do the review of the Repulse area survey -- conducted in August 2000 and the first involving narwhal since 1984 -- at a two-day workshop in Repulse Bay this month.

Narwhal numbers Narwhal stocks show no decline Repulse area survey first since 1984 Results boost co-management 40 to 50 narwhals landed a year normal Workshop to feature population projections Full survey results to be released this week

"We will compare the results to surveys of the past and discuss the conclusions that can be drawn from that in terms of trends, population size and future management of the stock," says DFO Arctic marine mammal stock assessment biologist Pierre Richard.

Workshop participants will be shown a computer model of the survey results, which takes any uncertainties into account and calculates possible population projections with any given future hunting levels.

"This allows you to measure the risk of making a wrong management decision. The model isn't a solution maker, but a discussion tool as to what would be a sustainable harvest level for the future."

Survey results will be made public during the next week, although Richard did say stock numbers have not declined.

He says the past history of narwhal hunting in Repulse bodes well for future management of the stock.

"The Repulse area hunters have been landing in the low tens of animals for more than a decade.

"We can now consider the range of 30-50 animals a year the norm, not counting struck and lost," he says.

"They have a ceiling in place of 100 narwhal and I'm not too concerned they'll hit that ceiling unless there's a change in conditions which would bring the hunters closer to the animals."

For more on the Repulse narwhal situation, please see page 20.