Nunavut, Kivalliq board at impasse over polar bear quotas

The Nunavut government and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board are not budging on this year's polar bear hunting quotas, according to the Kivalliq Wildlife Board.

Following a flurry of letter-writing between the Kivalliq Wildlife Board and the territorial government, the groups seemed to have reached an impasse on the 2008-2009 quota in the Kivalliq region of central Nunavut.

The regional wildlife board argues it wants to allocate 38 polar bear hunting tags to its communities this year, while the government has accepted the Nunavut wildlife board's recommendation of a reduced quota of just eight bear tags in the region.

"That's my understanding from the minister, that they're holding firm to the eight quota," Kivalliq Wildlife Board president David Aksawnee told CBC News on Tuesday.

"That's something that we're still going to be discussing, I believe, next week, and I'm hoping to get some kind of response to each community by then."

The reduced quota is based on polar bear numbers it has in the area. But members of the Kivalliq board have accused the government of using false data and what they've said is an incomplete polar bear study.

Aksawnee said the Kivalliq board and the communities it serves risk being fined if they ignore the quota and take 38 polar bears this year.

However, Aksawnee said not all hope is lost, as he believes everyone can still reach a compromise.