This polar bear was recently spotted near Qikiqtarjuaq before it was chased out of town. Nunavut and Greenland recently agreed to manage shared polar bear populations to keep their numbers at sustainable levels. - photo Courtesy Markosie Aningmiuq

Iqaluit (May 02/05) - Nunavut and Greenland have reached an agreement to work together to manage polar bear populations.

"It's a great step forward," said Environment Minister Olayuk Akesuk. Negotiations towards the agreement date back to a memorandum of understanding signed by both governments in 2000. "This has been a long-time issue."

The agreement was signed when officials from both countries recently met in Greenland.

Concerns were raised earlier this year when the allotted number of hunting tags in Nunavut was increased to 518 from 403.

Greenland currently has no quota system, but reports suggest Greenlandic hunters have taken about 200 bears over the last few years. Some experts suggested a combined hunt of that size was unsustainable.

The new agreement will help officials understand how many bears have been hunted between both countries and determine a sustainable level, Akesuk said.

Hunting numbers will be based on international agreements, scientific research and traditional knowledge.

The next step will be for both countries to begin drafting an agreement to co-manage the three shared polar bear populations in Kane Basin, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.