Hunters to harvest more narwhal
One approval away from being able to carry over unused tags
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Monday, February 24, 2014
NUNAVUT
Inuit harvesters wishing to hunt narwhal are now a step closer to being able to share unused tags between communities.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. vice-president James Eetoolook announced Feb. 20 that NTI, along with regional wildlife organizations in the Kitikmeot, the Kivalliq and the Qikiqtaaluk regions and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have approved an interim narwhal carry-over policy for tags not used by hunters in 2013.
"This is welcome news to the hunters," said Eetoolook. "We all heard that the people who live right in the area where there are narwhals know the population is increasing. So, they need to see a higher total allowable harvest when it comes to the narwhal."
Nunavut's narwhal management plan, overseen by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, used to be based on the wintering stocks, or large groups of narwhal that congregate together during the winter. The winter stocks are the Baffin Bay/Davis Straight population and the Davis Straight/Hudson Straight population.
However, most population surveys are done during the summer months when the narwhal are divided into their six summering stocks near Somerset Island, Admiralty Inlet, Eclipse Sound, East Baffin Island, North Hudson Bay/Foxe Basin, and Jones Sound.
All communities are allocated tags each year, although the number varies and is decided by the regional wildlife management boards and individual Hunters and Trappers Organizations. Inuit hunters must have a tag before they harvest. However, some communities are better situated than others when it comes to accessing narwhal.
For residents in communities like Cape Dorset that are on the narwhals' migration route, the mammals are not guaranteed to travel close enough to the community to harvest each spring and fall.
Elsewhere, such as in Repulse Bay, populations spend most of the summer close to the community and are fairly easy to access.
The interim carry-over policy would allow the regional wildlife organizations to reallocate the tags not used in 2013 to hunters harvesting within the same summer stock in 2014 and prevent more tags from going unused. This carry-over must now be approved by the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, which is expected to hold its next regular meeting in March.
Helping hunters harvest as close to the total allowable limit as possible is not only important for the management of the species, but for local economies, said Eetoolook.
"It's very important for the consumption of the food, also for the trade for ivory," he said. "Otherwise (hunters) wouldn't have an income."
This interim policy is part of the changes associated with the new Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for narwhal that came into effect on April 1, 2013 and is still rolling out in phases.
NTI anticipates that a permanent carry-over strategy will be finalized for the 2015/16 season.
