Kivalliq hunters want more tags for polar bear hunts

Communities in Nunavut's Kivalliq region want more tags for hunting polar bears in Western Hudson Bay, saying more hunting tags would result in fewer defence kills of animals that wander into hamlets and threaten people and property.

"There's too many defence kills now," says Alex Ishalook, chair of the Arviat Hunters and Trapper Organization.​

"There would be no defence kills if we were given proper tags."

Last summer there were four polar bear defence kills in Arviat, a community that has a polar bear patrol which assists in keeping the animals away from the hamlet.

"There were polar bears going into the town and breaking shacks and taking country food," said Ishalook.

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According to Nunavut's polar bear management system any time a polar bear is killed — whether it's harvested, a defence kill  — it is documented and counted toward the annual total allowable harvest.

That means that hamlets forced to kill polar bears that threaten their community are barred from getting additional tags to harvest bears in a planned hunt.

Ishalook said being unable to participate in a planned polar bear hunt is a threat to Inuit culture.

"We're losing a lot of our lifestyle. In a domestic hunt, we train younger hunters."

He added that with the two tags that Arviat got this year, there's few opportunities to plan hunts. Tough choices have to be made between distributing tags to elders or to youth who need to learn the ropes.  

Time to reconsider

Nunavut's minister of environment Joe Savikataaq agrees that polar bear tags are a big concern for many communities in the Kivalliq region.

"I know that when people have to destroy a bear that's for defence of life and property, it's not an easy decision for them. It's not something that's taken lightly by the hunters," he said.

The minister said he has received letters from the Arviat and Whale Cove hunters and trappers organizations and the Kivalliq Wildlife Board outlining concerns about decisions made on the allocation of polar bear tags.

"It is time to look at it and maybe to reconsider the decision," said Savikataaq.

He added community concerns coupled with the fact that a new survey on the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population was just completed by the Government of Nunavut this year add up to grounds for reopening the discussion on the allocation of polar bear tags.

"The polar bear is the poster-child of climate change," said Savikataaq.

"We want to manage it as best we can, but we also want to manage it for the people of Nunavut."

The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board said currently 28 tags are issued for harvesting polar bears in Western Hudson Bay. These tags are shared by numerous communities including Arviat, Whale Cove, Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake and are allocated by regional wildlife organizations.

The last time the Western Hudson Bay polar bear tags were reviewed by the wildlife management board was in December 2014. The latest available Government of Nunavut survey states there were 1,030 Western Hudson Bay polar bears and that the population is stable.

In accordance with the land claims agreement, the federal or territorial governments have to approach the management board with new information such as a new survey to instigate another review of hunting tags.