Kerry McCLuskey
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Nov 04/02) - A draft version of Gjoa Haven's polar bear traditional knowledge study was released at the Kitikmeot Hunters and Trappers Association's annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay recently.

The report, and an accompanying video, were presented in draft form last month to funding partners and members of the Kitikmeot Hunters and Trappers Association.

According to Louie Kamookak, releasing the draft information at the KHTA meeting allowed Gjoa Haven officials the chance to fine-tune the information before tabling the final report this week.

The Gjoa Haven HTA developed and produced the polar bear traditional knowledge study with $75,000 in funding assistance from the Department of Sustainable Development, Nunavut Tunngavik, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and the Bathurst road and port project.

"There are a few places where we still have to make adjustments on the report," explained Kamookak, last Thursday morning.

Once the final report is released, Kamookak said Gjoa Haven HTA members hope to use it to take on a more active role in the management of polar bears in the M'Clintock Channel. The need to become more involved developed when hunters from Gjoa Haven were prevented from hunting polar bears in the nearby M'Clintock Channel. That happened in 2001 following a government study that indicated the bear population was less than half of what they estimated. The quota was reduced to 12 bears from 32 and a complete moratorium followed in 2002.

The change also affected hunters in Taloyoak and Cambridge Bay because they also harvested bears in the M'Clintock Channel.

Dissatisfaction with the government's information prompted the Gjoa Haven HTA to produce their own polar bear report based on Inuit traditional knowledge. Their goal was to develop a complementary body of data that could be combined with western science to create an all-inclusive body of information.

"This was not done to say the government was wrong. If we combine the two, our hope is that we will have more of a say in helping manage our own wildlife," he said.

"We did this so we could be more involved in the knowledge and to preserve our own knowledge."

Sections of the report and video include a close look at climate change, knowledge of the land and local geography, changing ice conditions, knowledge about the different age groups of bears, legends and feeding habits.