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NUNAVUT - A Louisiana-based lawyer has filed a series of lawsuits against U.S. government bodies aimed at allowing polar bear trophies into the United States.

American sport hunters have been unable to take polar bear parts into the U.S. since a ban was enacted in April 2008.

At least two Nunavut hunters and trappers organizations and several outfitters based in the territory or who do business in Nunavut have joined one of the three lawsuits filed by lawyer John J. Jackson III to challenge the ban in a variety of ways.

The ban has had a disastrous effect on the outfitting business in Nunavut.

"We took out three hunters this year down from 20 (last year)," said Nathaniel Kalluk, owner of Nanuk Outfitting in Resolute. "That's really low. It's very bad for us."

Nanuk Outfitting is one of the plaintiffs in Jackson's lawsuits, which also include the HTOs of Resolute and Arviat, the Inuvialuit Game Council of the NWT, several other outfitters and nearly two dozen sport hunters who killed their polar bears before the ban came up, but were unable to transport the skins into the U.S. fast enough, leaving them stuck in Canada.

The more than 60-page statement of claim argues the U.S. government's ban on polar bear trophies should be abandoned because the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) does not take into account the Canadian government's polar bear management program.

Jackson is a veteran wildlife lawyer and the chairman of Conservation Force, a non-profit advocacy group in support of sport hunting worldwide. "The U.S.A. is famous for listing other people's species and not helping them," Jackson told Nunavut News/North. "Most species listed on ESA are foreign mammals."

When the ban started it was an emergency order which took effect immediately. As a consequence, Jackson estimates 40 to 60 polar bear skins were stranded in Canada, harvested but unable to be imported because of the suddenness of the ban. Each is worth over US $48,000 to its owner.

Jackson's second suit argues for the ban to be temporarily set aside so his clients can get their skins into the U.S. This lawsuit goes to court in August 2009.

His third and newest lawsuit concerns a special kind of permit available to hunters who want to hunt species that are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act like the polar bear. These "proof of enhancement permits" are available for hunters who are headed for populations that are healthy, even if the species as a whole is considered at risk.

For example, the polar bear population in the Gulf of Boothia is stable according to recent research. Jackson's group Conservation Force applied for an enhancement permit to hunt a Boothia polar bear but was turned down.