A slow 2014 narwhal hunting season in north Hudson Bay means extra tags are available for hunters this year. But putting those tags to use will be largely dependent on weather conditions. - NNSL file photo |
Abundance of tags for narwhal hunters
Hunting season delayed by ice and wind in Resolute
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, July 13, 2015
QUASUITTUQ/RESOLUTE
A slow narwhal hunting season last year means more tags than normal are available this year for Qikiqtani hunters, but it's the weather that will determine whether those are used.
Eighty-two unused tags from last year will be added to this year's total, making 239 tags available for north Hudson Bay hunters in 2015.
The carryover policy is part of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s wildlife management plan and the tags will be shared among the north Hudson Bay communities.
"The problem (last year) was the ice kept coming back," said Philip Manik, the chairperson of Resolute's Hunters and Trappers Organization, about why so many tags went unused last year.
"It kept coming back, going back and forth. By the time it was gone, the whales had migrated."
As narwhals travel north during migration, spring is usually the best time for hunting, he said.
There is another key time toward autumn when the narwhals are heading back south.
But actually being able to capitalize on the increased number of tags and timing the migration patterns is dependent on weather conditions.
"There have been reports of some sightings in the last couple of weeks," said Manik about narwhals near Resolute.
He hasn't heard of a successful hunt yet and has been too busy working to go out himself. Plus, strong wind in recent weeks have kept boaters in the area off the water.
"We've had strong winds," he said. "It's still early so we don't know what's going to happen this summer."
Manik said it's hard to predict whether the unused tags will be put to use this year.
"We hope every year, but last year was not too good," he said. "I hope they catch all of them. It depends mainly on the weather and the ice conditions. We can hope, but it's all we can do."
He said there have been some strong narwhal hunting seasons in the past and hopes this summer is one of them.
Catching half the narwhals legally allowed would be considered a good harvest year, he added.
Prior to the carryover policy, unused tags were returned to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, meaning Inuit lost access to the unused tags.
Under the new system, Regional Wildlife Organizations are able to keep unused tags for one year and reallocate them to HTOs.
