'Confidence and pride': Nunavut hunters harvest bowhead whale in Kivalliq region

A whaling crew from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, landed their bowhead whale late Sunday with the help of community members in Naujaat, after two weeks of scouting around the Kivalliq region's waters.

It was just the beginning of a long night for the young whalers, who towed the huge whale behind their boats to a spot near Naujaat for butchering. They spent about five hours flensing it.

Joeffrey Kaludjak, the captain of the crew, told CBC's Pauline Pemik the whale measured 49 feet and seven inches.

"It's up there with some of the biggest ones," he said. "They grow about 60 feet ... but this one was 40, almost 50 feet, so it's not a small whale."

He and his brother, Daniel Kaludjak, said the successful hunt brought a sense of pride and disbelief.

"It's still sinking in, to me, but I'm very proud of the little skeleton crew we had here," said Daniel. "I'm totally grateful for Naujaatmiut for assisting us in this bowhead hunt."

People from Naujaat provided a lot of support, from heavy equipment to manpower to help process the whale.

Life lessons for youth

Daniel's 16-year-old son joined the hunt and helped to harpoon the whale. 

"[There's] no feeling like it," Daniel said. "It's hard to explain. I'm just happy he had the chance to participate and witness this."

Joeffrey said with Nunavut's young population, hunts like this one are important for youth to take part in.

"Being a part of something big like this gives them some confidence and pride within their own self," he said. "I'm very proud of our young group here."

The prized black and white bowhead maktaq has now found its way into many households, not just in the Kivalliq region.

Bowhead hunting has undergone a renewal in the Canadian Arctic since 1996, when the Fisheries and Oceans minister first approved the harvest of one bowhead for what was then the Nunavut Settlement Area.

Based on greater population estimates, that quota was increased to three bowhead whales in 2009, with three Nunavut communities, one per region, receiving permits to hunt one apiece.

In 2015, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' annual quota for bowhead whales increased to five a year: two for the Kivalliq region, two for the Qikiqtani and one for the Kitikmeot, with regional wildlife boards selecting the communities and approving hunt plans.

The harvest is intended to keep the bowhead population, decimated by European commercial hunting, to about 12,000.