Repulse Bay catches its bowhead whale

Repulse Bay has caught its bowhead whale.

The hunt took place over the Labour Day weekend, and was successful, catching the community's sixth bowhead whale since 1996.

Hunters spotted the whale on Saturday evening. It was close to 52 feet long or just over 15 metres.

"When we caught it everyone was happy," said hunt captain David Tukturjuk. "We got home when the daylight came …We had a good welcome …There we people on the shore to greet us, we were so happy."

"There were also people who came to the butchering site to be with us, the sun came out finally and it was beautiful," Tukturjuk said.

The whale was partly butchered early Sunday morning in the area where the bowhead was caught. But the community then towed the whale to Repulse Bay to stave off polar bears.