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NNSL Photo/graphic

Hunters used traditional harpoons and also rifles to harvest the whales, which would have otherwise starved to death. - photo courtesy of Paul Voudrach/Tuk HTC

A blessing under the ice

Philippe Morin
Northern News Services

Tuktoyaktuk (Dec 04/06) - It might seem like a tragic story from the animals' point of view, but the trapping of belugas in Husky Lakes could also be called a Christmas miracle.

"This is a blessing," said Paul Voudrach, chair of the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee.

"Some people were not able to get whales this summer so this is their chance."

On Nov. 28, Voudrach returned from a six-day hunting expedition, where 39 whales where killed.

He said 37 were dragged from the ice, cut into muktuk and hauled back to Tuktoyaktuk by snowmobile, while two unfortunately sank.

The whales had wandered into Husky Lakes at the end of October, only to become trapped by forming ice and left to starve.

Now, Voudrach said the harvest will mean lots of free traditional meat for Beaufort Delta families, just in time for Christmas.

"DFO (the Department of Fisheries and Oceans) should be applauded for assisting the Tuk Hunters and Trappers Committee and allowing us to have access to these animals and utilize them for food," he said.

According to Voudrach, the harvest started on Nov. 17 as hunters saw the trapped whales were beginning to suffer.

He said the animals were quickly getting thin, and it would have been cruel to let them live longer.

"In a matter of few days, they lost a lot of weight," he said.

And thus, with the permission of Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Voudrach said seven hunters used harpoons and rifles to harvest the whales and drag their heavy wet bodies onto the frozen lake.

"I really applaud the harvesters who were on site. They did exceptionally good work, and hard work," Voudrach said.

Once the whales were hoisted on the ice, hunters carved up the animals on site. The waste was thrown back into the lake, in accordance with DFO regulations.

Voudrach said the meat was hauled back to Tuktoyaktuk by eight hunters, using eight snowmobiles for four days.

It will now be shipped to several Beaufort Delta communities, to be enjoyed by families who request it.

"I filled up my trailer," Voudrach said of a structure he called about 30 feet long by 20 feet wide by 10 feet high.

On Nov. 29, at the Beaufort Delta Regional Council meeting, NWT Premier Joe Handley praised the Tuktoyaktuk hunters for providing free muktuk to many local families.

He said he would make sure the hunters received any assistance they needed, to ensure the meat is delivered.