당신은 주제를 찾고 있습니까 “walrus hunting canada – How Sustainable Hunting Makes a Difference – An Epic Hunt In The Arctic For Walrus“? 다음 카테고리의 웹사이트 https://you.pilgrimjournalist.com 에서 귀하의 모든 질문에 답변해 드립니다: https://you.pilgrimjournalist.com/blog. 바로 아래에서 답을 찾을 수 있습니다. 작성자 A Hunter’s Quest 이(가) 작성한 기사에는 조회수 243,345회 및 좋아요 1,655개 개의 좋아요가 있습니다.
Table of Contents
walrus hunting canada 주제에 대한 동영상 보기
여기에서 이 주제에 대한 비디오를 시청하십시오. 주의 깊게 살펴보고 읽고 있는 내용에 대한 피드백을 제공하세요!
d여기에서 How Sustainable Hunting Makes a Difference – An Epic Hunt In The Arctic For Walrus – walrus hunting canada 주제에 대한 세부정보를 참조하세요
In this video, we highlight how sustainable hunting makes a positive impact on game, the wildlands, and local communities.
We are taking you on an epic hunt into the heart of the Arctic in pursuit of a trophy walrus. This adventure not only documents how to hunt in some of the most inhospitable landscapes, it shows first-hand how the amazing Inuit community was able to benefit from the expedition.
Amazing people, unforgettable views and an epic journey lie ahead. We hope you enjoy this incredible hunt for a giant Walrus in the arctic.
Sustainable hunting is one of the most valuable tools in the preservation of land and wild game. The future of wild animals across the globe is dependent on our ability to sustain their constantly shrinking habitat.
So the question remains. How does hunting help sustain and preserve the wildlands?
It’s actually very simple, the local communities depend on the revenue generated from hunters. They also greatly benefit from the meat harvested during the safaris that take place on their land.
Because of this, the game is protected and the habitat preserved.
Follow A Hunters Quest:
http://instagram.com/ahuntersquest
walrus hunting canada 주제에 대한 자세한 내용은 여기를 참조하세요.
A Big Game – The New York Times
Canada passed walrus-protection rules in 1928, and hunting since has almost entirely been limited to aboriginal takes. Conservation has had an …
Source: www.nytimes.com
Date Published: 5/23/2021
View: 6799
Atlantic Walrus Hunt, Hall Beach, Nunavut | Huntin’ Fool
Like a hound hunt for mountain lions, the actual shot is anticlimactic. The real hunt is in the anticipation of and traveling first to Nunavut and then out …
Source: www.huntinfool.com
Date Published: 4/27/2021
View: 5291
Canada Nunavut 2017 | Blaser Safaris
Combination. Polar Bear,. Walrus &. Caribou. Fall Hunt: Date 30st July – 07th September. 10 hunting days, hunt guance 1:1, dog-sled team, incl. trophy fee.
Source: blaser-safaris.com
Date Published: 12/8/2022
View: 6054
주제와 관련된 이미지 walrus hunting canada
주제와 관련된 더 많은 사진을 참조하십시오 How Sustainable Hunting Makes a Difference – An Epic Hunt In The Arctic For Walrus. 댓글에서 더 많은 관련 이미지를 보거나 필요한 경우 더 많은 관련 기사를 볼 수 있습니다.
주제에 대한 기사 평가 walrus hunting canada
- Author: A Hunter’s Quest
- Views: 조회수 243,345회
- Likes: 좋아요 1,655개
- Date Published: 2022. 4. 21.
- Video Url link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HIsfySq3vo
Can you hunt walrus in Canada?
Walrus hunts are carried out of select Inuit communities in Nunavut with the use of motorized boats to transport you to the hunting areas. When Walrus are spotted, they are stalked while resting on large ice flows or small rocky islands. The success rate to date has been 100 percent.
Why do humans hunt walruses?
Walrus skins are used to make oil. The tusks are also used to make ornaments. As the Inuit now use high-powered rifles rather than traditional fishing lines to hunt walruses, their potential catch has been greatly increased.
Do people hunt walruses?
Though walruses have few natural predators, man has hunted them since the ninth century. Hunters have stalked them for their oil, ivory and skin.
Can you eat walrus?
Many residents of coastal communities in northern and western Alaska consume walrus and other marine mammals as part of subsistence hunting, or hunting for survival. This tradition is critical to their nutrition, food security and economic stability, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
What animals count as big game?
Big game are typically species such as antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, bear, mountain lion, bison, and wolf as well as members of the deer family such as deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Other game that you can hunt typically encompasses small game.
How much does a walrus cost?
Puppy Pricing
Depending upon breed type, age, bloodlines, conformation and coloration, prices may start as low as $399.00*.
Are walrus violent?
Most walruses aren’t dangerous or aggressive, but could be if you disturb their herd or try to hurt their young. Most female walruses will chase you if you get near their young, but this doesn’t usually end fatally. Male walruses also will be hostile during mating season.
Do walruses hurt humans?
A protected species, walruses do not usually attack humans. At a wildlife park in China in 2016, a tourist and a zookeeper were killed, the news organization reported. The tourist was taking selfies with the walrus when he was grabbed and pulled underwater, according to the BBC.
Is it illegal to harvest walrus tusks?
As of 2021, several states have enacted overbroad bans on ivory sales, including walrus ivory, and several others are considering adoption of such laws. States with broad ivory bans: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington.
Are walruses bigger than polar bears?
A mature male polar bear (Ursus maritimus) can weigh more than 700 kg (1,500 lb), making it one of the largest land carnivores on Earth. But walruses are much heavier. An adult male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) can weigh more than 2,000 kg (4,400 lb), about three times as much as a polar bear.
Are walruses intelligent?
Walruses are intelligent animals. Scientists are gathering evidence that the walrus is the most cognitively and socially sophisticated of all pinnipeds. The upper canine teeth of the walrus are known as morse or tusks. The tip of the walrus tusk has an enamel coating which is worn away during the animal’s youth.
Where can you hunt polar bears?
Hunting can be legal or not (poaching). Most states only permit native people to hunt polar bears, but Canada is the only Arctic state that allows non-native people to hunt polar bears. Killing a polar bear in self-defense is permissible when one’s life or another’s is threatened.
What is the walrus population?
Species Status
The most recent aerial survey, conducted in 2006 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), estimated the walrus population to be about 129,000 but with a large confidence interval of 55,000-550,000 animals.
How do walruses eat?
Walruses do not chew their food, but they do sometimes crush clam shells. Soft-bodied invertebrates are usually not crushed or torn. A walrus sucks off the foot and the fleshy siphon of a clam and swallows it whole.
Nunavut, Canada Walrus Hunt
This outfitter actually pioneered walrus hunting in Nunavut, conducting the first non-resident, non-aboriginal hunt in 1995. Walrus hunts are carried out of select Inuit communities in Nunavut with the use of motorized boats to transport you to the hunting areas. When Walrus are spotted, they are stalked while resting on large ice flows or small rocky islands. The success rate to date has been 100 percent.
Shooting ranges are close in, usually under 35 meters (approximately 40 yards). A brain shot, or even better, a neck shot for instant kill is recommended. The outfitter recommends rifle calibers nothing smaller than a .300 Winchester magnum for walrus. Even better, are calibers such as .338 and .375 or European calibers of 8X68 mm or 9.3 mm. Ammunition, by law, must have expanding bullets such as Barnes X, Bear Claw, Nosler Partition or equivalent. Rifles should be equipped with low powered scopes such as a 1X4 variable magnification scope and sighted in for 25 yards. Walruses are the gentle giants of the Arctic. They are among the largest pinnipeds — fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. However, while they have an intimidating size, and are carnivores, these animals are not aggressive. Walruses have large, flabby bodies covered in brown or pink skin. Short fur covers most of their bodies except for their fins. Their faces feature two small eyes, a mustache and two long tusks. Walruses weigh from 1,320 to 3,300 lbs. and can be as long as 10.5 feet. Males are about twice as big as females, have longer and thicker tusks, and usually have thicker skin.
Nunavut, Canada Walrus Hunt
This outfitter actually pioneered walrus hunting in Nunavut, conducting the first non-resident, non-aboriginal hunt in 1995. Walrus hunts are carried out of select Inuit communities in Nunavut with the use of motorized boats to transport you to the hunting areas. When Walrus are spotted, they are stalked while resting on large ice flows or small rocky islands. The success rate to date has been 100 percent.
Shooting ranges are close in, usually under 35 meters (approximately 40 yards). A brain shot, or even better, a neck shot for instant kill is recommended. The outfitter recommends rifle calibers nothing smaller than a .300 Winchester magnum for walrus. Even better, are calibers such as .338 and .375 or European calibers of 8X68 mm or 9.3 mm. Ammunition, by law, must have expanding bullets such as Barnes X, Bear Claw, Nosler Partition or equivalent. Rifles should be equipped with low powered scopes such as a 1X4 variable magnification scope and sighted in for 25 yards. Walruses are the gentle giants of the Arctic. They are among the largest pinnipeds — fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. However, while they have an intimidating size, and are carnivores, these animals are not aggressive. Walruses have large, flabby bodies covered in brown or pink skin. Short fur covers most of their bodies except for their fins. Their faces feature two small eyes, a mustache and two long tusks. Walruses weigh from 1,320 to 3,300 lbs. and can be as long as 10.5 feet. Males are about twice as big as females, have longer and thicker tusks, and usually have thicker skin.
Walrus
Walruses and Humans
The walrus is still considered threatened as it breeds slowly and lives in a fragile habitat sensitive to pollution or overfishing.
According to the IUCN there is insufficient data to classify all the subspecies of Walrus. The popularion of Walrus is still large, but it is thought that two of the subspecies are in decline and that climate change is having a detrimental effect particularly for the Pacific subspecies. Therefore the official classification at present is Vulnerable.
The Inuit, indigenous people of the Canadian Arctic formerlly known as Eskimos, are still allowed to hunt walruses, as they have done for many hundreds of years. Walrus skins are used to make oil. The tusks are also used to make ornaments. As the Inuit now use high-powered rifles rather than traditional fishing lines to hunt walruses, their potential catch has been greatly increased.
How Walruses Work
” ” Istock Hand-made Eskimo dagger made from ivory tusk or bone. Istock photos
Though walruses have few natural predators, man has hunted them since the ninth century. Hunters have stalked them for their oil, ivory and skin. Because of this, walrus populations have dropped to extremely low levels and then recovered at several points in human history.
Walrus oil — created by boiling walrus blubber at high temperatures — was greedily sought for lamps, soap and as a machine lubricant between 1860 and 1880. During that period, approximately 10,000 walruses were killed a year in the eastern Arctic alone [source: Lanken]. After the most recent depletion, however, walrus hunting has largely been restricted in Canada, Russia and the U.S. Only native populations who rely on the walrus as a source of food are permitted to hunt the animal.
Advertisement
In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 not only protects the walrus from hunters but also prohibits the trade of walrus ivory. Only ivory that predates the law or has been carved by an Alaska native can be legally traded [source: Burns]. In addition, although the walrus is not endangered, it is listed under Article III of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This status gives it some protection by placing restrictions on the global trade of walruses and walrus products.
After significant fluctuations in walrus populations over the last several hundred years, current populations appear to be stable and may even be thriving. Although some illegal ivory trade is inevitable and the effects of global warming remain to be seen, walruses are enjoying a welcome stability in their total numbers.
For more information and some interesting videos of walruses, don’t miss the links on the following page.
Raining? Don’t forget the intestines. In Alaska, the Inupiaq and Yupik Eskimos have relied on the walrus for thousands of years. The annual walrus hunt has become an integral part of that culture. Historically, practically every last bit of the walrus was used — even the intestines were eaten or fashioned into raincoats. Today, the Eskimos defer to plastic raincoats, but many of the traditional uses for walruses remain. Walrus meat is used for food, stomachs are used as containers and drums, skins are used for boat covers and rope and ivory is used in art. Each village sets a limit on the number of walruses that can be hunted each year, making sure they do not kill more than can be used and that walrus total numbers don’t significantly decline [source: “Subsistence and Walrus Hunting”].
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
More Great Links
Sources:
Arctic Expeditions
Canada North Outfitting pioneered walrus hunts in Nunavut. We offer two very distinct hunt packages and locations.
In our first package, our experienced Inuit guides take you by boat to the drift ice and hunt along the edges in search of big-tusked bulls hauled-out on ice. This is regarded by both first time and many time Arctic explorers as amongst the World’s Top 5 Adventures.
Our second package provides a different walrus haul-out experience as they congregate in large numbers along the shoreline of rocky islands.
Either walrus hunt adventure is suited to non-hunting observers interested in photographic opportunities, Inuit culture, and experiencing the Arctic way of life.
Remembering the walrus hunt
The hunters make the trip to the small island of Qaisuut, about a half-day’s boat ride from town. An ancient human skull sits near the beach on the island of Qaisuut, Nunavut, where elders say thousands of walrus once bred. \r
PreviousNext
The Aivilingmiut of Nunavut are walrus hunters. Like many regional groups of Inuit, they’re named after the animal that once kept them alive. In all seasons, they follow the aivik (Inuktitut for walrus) north of Hudson Bay, all the way up to Baffin Island. These days, no one survives on walrus anymore; but still, when an Aivilingmiut elder broadcasts over the community radio that she’s craving igunaq —fermented walrus meat — local hunters have a duty to find it.
***
The boats shove off from a limestone shingle shore. It’s late July, and finally, Igloolik Bay is clear of ice. Each boat carries one family: mom, dad and one or two sons who’ve been chosen to learn the hunt. The loose itinerary says the Airuts, Ammaqs, Irngauts, and Awas will be gone for a week, and they’ve packed enough food and snacks to cover about three days. For the rest of that time, they’ll depend on the land: collecting rainwater from the tops of ice sheets, hunting ducks, and shooting seals when their black heads appear on the flat waves in the distance. They motor for hours, passing a hundred little islands. No one’s worried about running out of land.
Igloolik’s hunters and trappers instituted a moratorium on walrus tourism in 2008, banning sport hunting and photography trips south of Baffin Island. They said the increased traffic from tourists was scaring the animals eastward, toward Cape Dorset. Though the moratorium has since been lifted, some people think increased shipping and development on Baffin Island still stresses the walruses, while others say it’s the loss of sea ice. Whether the Atlantic herd is dying off or moving away is unknown, but locals say there are fewer around today than there were 30 years ago. Regardless, scientists and Inuit agree that changes to the Arctic profoundly affect animal populations, which in turn profoundly affect Northern culture and tradition.
***
By evening, the hunters make camp at an ancient walrus-hunting outpost, a small island, Qaisuut, just north of the northernmost tip of the Canadian mainland. In the 24-hour sunlight, no one sleeps. Hunter and father Lukie Airut cuts sealskin pelts into thin ropes, shaves the hair off, and dries them against an orange cliff. Elizabeth Awa teaches her granddaughters how to collect heather from the high, green fields and lays it down for a bed. Elder Abraham Uruyaralok sits on his mattress and sings traditional songs. He also monitors the high-frequency radio, chatting with other hunters in the area. The kids walk the thousand-year-old foot trails all night, in the purple light, with rifles. They’re guarding for polar bears. At a flat beach, they repeat the stories their parents told them; this island once teemed with walrus and hunters could pick them off from the land. In a sod house a little ways up from the beach, they find the remnants of ancient tools and kids games, and a human skull. The kids all know about the skull and visit it every time they come to Qaisuut. It’s a witness to what happens when too many hunts go bad and people are forced to change their way of life. All night, Peter Awa plays his fiddle, and boiled seal intestines circulate through the tents. They’re just passing time until morning.
***
The first herd we see we just watch. They’re like elephants in the water — clumsy. Even in the open ocean, they lumber and gasp, as if it’s difficult for them to keep their noses and mouths out of the water. Their heads bob up and down, tusks stabbing the waves. The six boats gather behind them, but the walruses don’t need to see us to know they’re in danger; they bob their heads a little faster; the herd splits. Awa shoots and hits a bull on the back of the neck. The bull rears back. Two boats rush to his side and pierce him with a homemade harpoon connected to an empty jerry can. He pounds at the jerry can with his tusks. He batters it but cannot puncture it. He rocks the twenty-foot aluminum boat with his thrashing.
Another shot from the boat next door and a cow is hit. Before the hunters can harpoon her, the rest of the herd has banded together around the female, and two others are carrying her away on their backs. An ice floe gets between the boat and the walruses, and Lukie Airut doesn’t think twice — he throws himself on top of the ice. For a moment, he stands with his harpoon poised over his head. When he learned to do this, he learned on a kayak. He throws his spear, but it bounces off her hide. He spears her again, this time through the left flipper. Airut jumps back on his boat and pulls her away from her herd with his sealskin rope. The boat, lopsided with the one-tonne weight, putters toward an ice pan about the size of a high school gym.
Nine walruses are culled from two herds in the morning, and then, all afternoon and into the evening, they’re butchered. It takes nine men and a pulley system to get each walrus out of the water. When fish-splitter knives open the grey, scarred hides, the ice fields turn red with blood. There’s no lunch break — livers and hearts are laid out in front of a lawn chair on the ice, and hunters can snack on them as they work. Each family butchers its own walrus, and each family works in its own way, but everyone’s preparing the same thing: the Aivilingmiut specialty, igunaq. They fold pouches of fat, meat and skin into airtight sacks, and sew the sacks closed with strings of extra skin from around the chest and rib cage. The kids hold their knives and watch how the butchering goes. They will do this hunt after hunt, until they’re ready to try it out themselves. Miss one year and they start to forget.
***
The boats are full, and the hunt is over; the kids are homesick anyway. The families split off when they get into shore, carrying their igunaq to rock caches just outside of town. The walrus meat, two men to a pouch, is carried to a burrow in the permafrost, where it sits to ferment for up to two years. Some Canada Day or birthday or whenever an elder gets on the radio with a craving for walrus, the hunters will dig it up and the town will remember that taste.
A Big Game
Inuit hunts can also be sloppy. On the day of Studwell’s kill, three Inuit men in a canoe pursued a cow walrus swimming with her calf. Using lightweight rifles, they shot the cow 16 times in 45 minutes, until at last she stopped diving, rolled over, snorted and bobbed chest up to accept a harpoon. Their meat secure, the men fired into her forehead, a 17th shot.
Now the guides rolled the bull to its back and rinsed away the blood. Studwell handed a camera to Andrew Uyarasuk, one of Cain’s assistants, and dropped to his knee. ”You can’t take too many pictures,” he said. ”Use up the roll.”
The great herds of Atlantic walruses were gone long before the era of conservation. They have never come back. When Old World navigators first struck westward, walruses were unimaginably abundant. Dense herds lived on Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and other islands in the Barents Sea. Along the northern approach to the New World, walruses were thick at Greenland. Once sailors crossed the continental shelf, they found them at Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick. Early mariners told of herds lolling at Sable Island, the latitudinal equivalent of central Maine.
But much like bison or passenger pigeons, walruses were almost constitutionally suited for industrial slaughter. They bellow loudly and ceaselessly, signaling their whereabouts for miles. They gather in groups, making them easy to spot. They have poor vision, allowing even hapless hunters to approach. And in one of evolution’s crueler jokes, they are predisposed to bunching together when threatened. This might be effective against polar bears, which delight in their calves, but it is also the aquatic equivalent of the Napoleonic square, about the worst possible way to elude men with guns.
The rush for profits led to unchecked killing. Walrus blubber yielded oil, the ivory could be scrimshawed into ornament and the hide could be cut into products as varied as ship rigging or pads on the tips of pool cues. English seamen fell upon herds and shot the animals in the eyes with pea-shot, to blind them, and then swung axes at the flopping beasts to finish them off. Others targeted walruses at night at haul-out sites, forcing them inland with dogs until the exhausted animals could be dispatched at will. One 1861 account described the value of injuring a calf, because when the ”junger begins to utter his plaintive grunting bark” it would attract adults. By late in the 19th century, the last thousands were restricted to isolated redoubts.
Canada passed walrus-protection rules in 1928, and hunting since has almost entirely been limited to aboriginal takes. Conservation has had an uneven effect. In Foxe Basin, where the walrus population estimate is roughly 5,500, the stock appears stable, and a few hundred have been killed most years, providing sustenance and cultural continuity for the Inuit. ”There is no sign that there are any significant problems,” says Michelle Wheatley, director of wildlife management for the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. But Foxe Basin is one of a few Atlantic waterways where if you go looking for walruses, you actually find them. Throughout most of their historic range, herds have not returned.
Atlantic Walrus Hunt, Hall Beach, Nunavut
November 2018 Story by Peter Spear State: Nunavut Species: Walrus
Like a hound hunt for mountain lions, the actual shot is anticlimactic. The real hunt is in the anticipation of and traveling first to Nunavut and then out onto the Arctic Ocean to pursue the Atlantic walrus on the ice flows where they haul-out to digest their diet of deep-water clams.
I began preparations for the hunt months in advance. Gear check. Review whether or not Arctic char fishing is open. Re-zero my faithful .338 Win. Mag. to 50 yards. Check the baggage allotments for First North Air [two free bags]. The list goes on. I elected to drive to Ottawa rather than fly. The Canadian Customs and Border constabulary have gotten out-of-hand when entering their country by air. I’ve missed flights several times and stressed out on all recent Canada trips when I nearly missed domestic Canadian flights. Assuming your paperwork is in order, driving across is far easier. The bottom line for me was that I could drive there quicker and with less stress than I could fly.
I arrived in Hall Beach, Nunavut with three other hunters and Shane on July 11, 2018. We stayed at an Inuit-operated hotel cooperative with Wi-Fi, satellite television, and good food. It was not a Spartan existence. The next day, it blew hard out of the southeast. Offshore pack ice raced by. The head local guide, Enoki Inuaraq, treated us to a trip to his fishing camp. He set a gill net for Arctic char while we enjoyed viewing the tundra birds, hot tea, and a lot of conversation. The topper was a great homemade caribou stew and fried bannock made on a Coleman stove by his wife, Ruthie. We got our money’s worth from our Nunavut fishing licenses, casting into the surf. If you’re forced to kill some time, this is a very good way to do it.
These are not Wal-Mart Inuit. They are not conflicted in any cultural way. While we drove to the camp in an SUV, they would filet and air-dry their fish by hand with the practiced ease of a lifetime of experience. We ate dried char like snack food. They knew the names and niche of nearly every bird that flew by. The last thing that went in the vehicle before leaving town was the insurance rifle, a WWII British Enfield in .303 caliber. Never leave home without one, especially when you have a bunch of flatlanders in tow.
The following day also started windy and, according to Enoki at breakfast, did not hold much promise for ocean boat travel. Just before lunch, he reappeared and announced a 1:00 p.m. rendezvous time. The hunt was on. Each hunter had his own guide, boat, and two or three assistants. The boats ranged from 19.5 to 25 feet long and were propelled by big, new engines. Most had twin outboard engines. Additionally, there was a fifth boat for emergencies. There were 20 souls in all, including the hunters. It was a complicated, logistical endeavor to get that much rolling stock and men together and properly functioning. Enoki was equal to the task.
We headed toward blue water. There were big swells from the day before. While it wasn’t tooth filling looseningly rough, it was rough enough that you timed your knee bends. Nearly three hours later, we were out of sight of land when we found the big raft ice. Thereafter, it took another several hours to locate any walrus.
Before I shot one, I wanted to see how they behaved, what “big” looked like, and so forth. Typically, the walrus did not dive in right away, although some females with 500 pound calves did lose their nerve and slide off the ice. Judging from the excrement on the ice flows holding walrus, they used the same ice repeatedly. We saw two polar bears, one swimming and another traversing the broken pack-ice. They too took little notice of our presence.
Gary Russell from Arkansas got the party started after supper by shooting a big male with heavy and uneven tusks. Fourteen men and women broke the walrus down in under an hour, from photos to clean up. Every Inuit had a preassigned job.
I was up next. We found a group of large males, and one seemed longer and heavier than most. I took it with one neck shot. It died instantly (thanks again to Dennis Duff Ordinance), and I had a great walrus. We were near the edge of the ice and the open ocean, but the wind and tide were closing up the leads between the ice blocks, so we attached a line to the walrus and pulled it off the ice and towed it to a larger block of ice on the edge of the flowage. Otherwise, we’d be locked in place until the tide changed in 12 hours.
They cut 3×3 foot sections of skin from the walrus. Then, they flensed the skin with 4-5” of blubber attached from the carcass. Next, they perforated the edge of the skin around the entire perimeter. They lashed the skin together with heavy nylon cord with the blubber on the inside. They packed the “bag” with meat and viscera and sewed it closed. My walrus yielded nine such bags of meat, plus the flippers, ribs, and intestines. Each bag weighed 100-150 pounds. They would bury it on the permafrost and dig it up in November/December
I shot my walrus after midnight. We traveled westerly into the sun, which we watched drop toward the horizon but not reach it then it reascended the heavens. We reached Hall Beach around 4:30 only to be greeted by a confused drifted ice pack blocking our progress. In the process of negotiating the final mile, we had dinged-up one aluminum propeller, and eventually made an amphibious landing a few hundred meters short of town. We slept in that morning. It had been a good day by Spear standards.
Atlantic Walrus in the Nunavut Settlement Area
Foreword
Atlantic walrus
(Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)
The purpose of this Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) is to identify the objectives and requirements for the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) fishery in the Nunavut Settlement Area, and the management measures that will be used to achieve these objectives. This document also serves to communicate the basic information on the fishery and its management to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff, legislated co-management boards, Hunters and Trappers Associations (HTOs), Regional Wildlife Boards (RWOs), Inuit, communities and other stakeholders. This IFMP provides a common understanding of the basic “rules” for the sustainable management of the fisheries resource.
This IFMP is not a legally binding instrument which can form the basis of a legal challenge. The IFMP can be modified at any time and does not fetter the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ discretionary powers set out in the Fisheries Act. The Minister can, for reasons of conservation or for any other valid reasons, modify any provision of the IFMP in accordance with the powers granted pursuant to the Fisheries Act, and subject to the relevant terms of the Nunavut Agreement.
Where DFO is responsible for implementing obligations for any land claims agreements, the IFMP will be implemented in a manner consistent with these obligations. In the event that an IFMP is inconsistent with obligations under land claims agreements, the provisions of the land claims agreements will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
Dale Nicholson, A/Regional Director General, Central and Arctic Region
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
February 1, 2018
Daniel Shewchuk, A/Chairperson, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board
December 22, 2017
1. Overview
The following is an Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) that will be used to provide direction in the management of Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) stocks in the Nunavut Settlement Area (NSA). Walrus in the Areas of Equal Use and Occupancy, as set out in Schedule 40-1 of the Nunavut Agreement (NA), will continue to be managed under applicable Acts, Regulations and land claims agreements, and are currently excluded from the management structure identified within this IFMP.
This IFMP was developed and will be implemented by the Government of Canada and co-management organizations through an adaptive co-management process. Working Groups comprised of Hunters and Trappers Organizations (HTO) from Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Pond Inlet and Resolute, Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board (QWB), Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) and the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) were formed to lead the development of the IFMP. The Working Groups have been instrumental in the development of the IFMP.
1.1 History
The walrus is one of the largest members of the seal family with two subspecies recognised. Pacific walrus inhabit the Bering, Chukchi, and Laptev seas. Atlantic walrus inhabit coastal areas of north-eastern Canada, Greenland and Svalbard (NAMMCO 2004).
Walrus have been harvested by Arctic indigenous peoples for thousands of years, providing valuable products such as blubber, bones, tusks and meat. The commercial harvesting of walrus in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in a rapid decrease of walrus across their Arctic ranges, including the extirpation of the Northwest Atlantic population. By 1928, commercial harvesting of walrus was banned in Canada by the Walrus Protection Regulations. Currently walrus in the NSA are managed under the Marine Mammal Regulations, the Fisheries Act and the NA.
Walrus are a key species in the Arctic marine food web, are of high economic, social and cultural importance for Inuit, and are iconic to Canadians since they are so easily identified with the Arctic environment.
1.2 Type of Fishery and Participants
Atlantic walrus are primarily harvested by Inuit, and are highly valued as a traditional source of food and other products. The Inuit hunt provides an opportunity to maintain cultural traditions and for experienced hunters to pass on their skills and knowledge to younger generations. Walrus products also provide a secondary source of income for hunters. Walrus ivory is either sold raw, or carved into fine art pieces such as jewelry or sculptures. Some communities engage in a small-scale sport hunt conducted by non-Inuit hunters.
1.3 Location of the Fishery
Atlantic walrus are found across most of Nunavut, with the majority of harvests occurring in eastern Nunavut (Figure 1).
1.4 Governance
The walrus fishery in the NSA is co-managed by DFO, the NWMB, RWOs and HTOs, in accordance with the Nunavut Agreement (NA or Agreement), and the Fisheries Act and its regulations. Under this co-management regime, the NWMB is the main instrument of wildlife management in the NSA, but the Minister retains authority and ultimate responsibility for wildlife management and conservation of fish, including marine mammals.
Fisheries Act, regulations, and policies
The walrus fishery is regulated by the Fisheries Act (R.S., 1985, c. F-14) and regulations made pursuant to it, including the Fishery (General) Regulations and the Marine Mammal Regulations. Where there is an inconsistency between the regulations and the Agreement, the Agreement shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
DFO has adopted a Sustainable Fisheries Framework for all Canadian fisheries to ensure that objectives for long-term sustainability, economic prosperity, and improved governance for Canadian fisheries are met. The Sustainable Fisheries Framework contains policies for adopting an ecosystem based approach to fisheries management, including A Fishery Decision-Making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach, and Managing Impacts of Fishing on Benthic Habitat, Communities and Species. This policy framework applies to the walrus fishery in the Nunavut Settlement Area.
These documents are available on the Internet at:
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/reports-rapports/regs/sff-cpd/overview-cadre-eng.htm
Nunavut Agreement
In 1993, Canada settled a comprehensive land claim agreement with the Inuit of the NSA. The NA created priority access and wildlife harvesting rights for Inuit and other Aboriginal groups who traditionally harvested within the NSA.
The NA also created an Institution of Public Government, the NWMB, to share decision making authority with the Federal Government. The NWMB and DFO Minister consider matters relating to the proper management and control of fisheries and the conservation of fish within the NSA. Under this co-management regime, the NWMB is the main instrument of wildlife management, but the Minister retains ultimate responsibility for wildlife management and may accept, reject or vary decisions made by the NWMB with respect to harvesting and other decisions related to the management and protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
The NA establishes wildlife management authority for the NWMB including the establishment, modification, and removal of levels of Total Allowable Harvest (TAH) or harvesting in the NSA, as well as Non-Quota Limitations (NQLs) on harvesting such as management units and harvesting seasons. Once a total allowable harvest has been established, the NWMB is also required to strike a Basic Needs Level (BNL), which is the portion of the TAH allocated to Inuit that constitutes the first demand on the TAH. Once established for a stock or population, the TAH replaces the existing regulatory quota.
The NL establishes wildlife management authority for RWOs and HTOs. The powers and functions of the RWOs (NA 5.7.6) include:
Regulation of harvesting practices and techniques among the members of HTOs in the region, including the use of non-quota limitations.
Allocation and enforcement of regional basic needs levels and adjusted basic needs levels among HTOs in the region.
Assignment to any person or body other than an HTO, with or without valuable consideration and conditions, of any portion of regional basic needs levels and adjusted basic needs levels.
Generally, the management of harvesting among the members of HTOs in the region.
The powers and functions of the HTOs (NA 5.7.3) include:
Regulation of harvesting practices and techniques among the members, including the use of non-quota limitations.
Allocation and enforcement of community basic needs levels and adjusted basic needs levels among members.
Assignment to non-members, with or without valuable consideration and conditions, of any portion of community basic needs levels and adjusted basic needs levels.
Generally, the management of harvesting among the members.
The NA establishes authority to Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) as the primary Designated Inuit Organizations (DIO) under the Agreement. It is responsible for ensuring that Inuit rights and obligations under the land claim are implemented, including the wildlife management provisions (Article 5) of the NA.
Under the NA, wildlife management and Inuit harvesting are guided by the principles of conservation (NA s.5.1.5).
The Nunavut Agreement is available on the internet at:
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100030601/1100100030602
1.5 Fishery Characteristics
In Nunavut, Atlantic walrus are harvested year round. Inuit hunters use a combination of modern equipment, such as snowmobiles, boats with outboard motors, and rifles, as well as traditional sleds, harpoons and floats. Typically, walrus are hunted from boats when they are on ice floes or while they are swimming in open water. In most cases walrus are shot first and then harpooned. Hunters prefer to kill walrus on ice where they are easier to retrieve and process. Animals on the ice are shot from close range with the intention of killing them immediately before they can fall into the water. Loss rates can be high when walrus are killed in deep water because they sink quickly (NAMMCO 2004, COSEWIC 2006). To reduce losses, animals in the water may be harpooned before they are shot, wounded so they can be harpooned before being killed, or killed in shallow water where they can be retrieved with grappling hooks or at low tide (NAMMCO 2004, COSEWIC 2006). Harpooning a walrus is dangerous, since animals must be approached to within 10m and wounded walrus become very aggressive and can capsize canoes or small boats (COSEWIC 2006). Floats made from seal skin are still heavily used, although hunters are finding that modern floats are more durable.
Some communities conduct walrus sport hunts. Individuals hunting under the authority of a marine mammal fishing licence issued by DFO must travel with local guides approved by the HTO. The licence stipulates when and where the hunt is authorized to take place, by whom, their country of origin, quotas, gear type to be used, as well as any specific conditions related to the hunt, such as the reporting of all hunts to the local DFO office, firearm muzzle velocity requirements, and the total number of strikes allowed. Individual HTOs may also have local by-laws. Licenced sport hunters report harvest information directly to DFO. See section 6 and Appendix 3 for more information on walrus sport hunts.
Table 1. Primary Harvesting Communities of Atlantic Walrus in the Eastern Canadian Arctic Population Stock Nunavut Harvesting Communities Nunavik Harvesting Communities Greenland Harvesting Communities High Arctic Baffin Bay Grise Fiord Qaanaaq
Avanersuaq West Jones Sound Grise Fiord Penny Strait- Lancaster Sound Resolute Bay Arctic Bay
Pond Inlet Central Arctic Foxe Basin (northern and central Foxe Basin stocks) Igloolik
Hall Beach Hudson Bay-Davis Strait Clyde River
Qikiqtarjuaq
Iqaluit
Pangnirtung
Arviat
Cape Dorset
Chesterfield Inlet
Coral Harbour
Kimmirut
Rankin Inlet
Repulse Bay
Whale Cove Puvirnituq
Akulivik
Ivujivik
Salluit
Kangiqsualujjuaq
Kuujjuaq
Tasiujaq
Aupaluk
Kangirsuk
Quaqtaq
Kangiqsujuaq Sisimiut Unknown South and East Hudson Bay Sanikiluaq Inukjuak
Kuujjuarapik
Umiujaq
1.6 Approval Process
(COSEWIC 2006, Stewart 2008a)
This IFMP has been approved by the Minister of DFO and the NWMB pursuant to section 5.2.34 of the NA. It will be reviewed and amended as necessary in collaboration with co-management organizations to ensure it remains relevant and current with new science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
This IFMP will be translated to Inuktitut and made available from DFO.
2. Stock Assessment, Science and Traditional Knowledge
2.1 Biological Synopsis
The walrus is Canada’s largest member of the seal family. It is a large animal with limbs that have developed into flippers, upper canine teeth that develop into long tusks (ivory) at about 2 years of age, and a moustache made of quill-like whiskers. Males and females are about 125 cm long at birth. As adults, males are significantly larger than females (Garlich-Miller & Stewart 1998). Adult males reach up to 1,100 kg in weight and 3.1 m in length and females can reach 800 kg and 2.8 m in length. Walrus can live to 40 years of age, and are considered to be long-lived animals. As walrus have a delayed sexual maturation, fairly low reproductive rates and specialized habitat requirements, they are vulnerable to over-harvesting and sensitive to environmental changes (COSEWIC 2006).
Mating occurs from February to April. Little is known about their reproduction because they mate in the water and in remote areas. Males mature between 7 and 13 years of age and compete intensely for females, defending access to them for up to five days. Females mature between 5 and 10 years of age and give birth on average every three years. Gestation lasts about 11 months and the young nurse for up to 27 months. Expectant mothers move onto land or ice to give birth. Protective care by mothers and the herd assures high calf survival (DFO 2007).
2.2 Ecosystem Interactions
The habitat requirements of the Atlantic walrus are very specific. They need large areas of shallow (100 m or less), open water that support an abundant clam community. In addition, there must be ice or land nearby to ‘haul out’. Moving pack ice is ideal for this purpose; however, in the summer and fall if ice is scarce, large herds congregate and haul out on low, rocky shores with steep subtidal zones. In areas of deeper water without plentiful clams, some walrus will consume seals. These walrus tend to be more aggressive, and are usually solitary or found in smaller groups. Although some hauled out groups of walrus may contain animals of all ages and both sexes, walrus tend to segregate by age and sex during most of the year. It is thought that females and their young return to certain sites more faithfully than do adult males (DFO 2007). Following harvesting by humans, polar bears are thought to be the main predators of walrus, though it is believed they take few animals.
The full effects of climate change on Atlantic walrus are unknown. However, potential effects of a warming climate may include, but are not limited to:
A reduction in winter and summer ice cover
A rise in sea level
An increase in sediment transport
An increase in the frequency and severity of storms
An increase in the presence of killer whales in the Arctic.
These may all be important factors for walrus, potentially impacting food supply and/or quality, ecosystem interactions, affecting their ability to access food and appropriate haulout sites, thereby influencing their health, distribution and abundance. These affects could also impact hunters’ ability to access walrus.
2.3 Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of walrus throughout Canada’s Arctic is extensive. Each community has hunters and elders that have knowledge in areas of distribution, seasonality, migration, birthing areas and haulout sites. Inuit have observed changes with respect to impacts from climate change, past and present disturbances and development/exploration. When shared, this information is considered with scientific knowledge to provide a more robust understanding of walrus distribution, movements and environmental interactions. TEK has also been used in assisting with the delineation of stocks and is used in the design of surveys by DFO Science to estimate population abundance. TEK is used with scientific data and observations to contribute to management decisions, as well as to identify information gaps, areas of uncertainty, and to set research priorities.
TEK has been recorded on unpublished maps, in meetings minutes, documented in a number of different published papers (DFO 2002a, DFO 2012a, NCRI 2014), and through consultations with experienced hunters and community elders.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) consists of TEK, as well as Inuit beliefs about how the world works, and the values necessary to behave in an ethical manner in human interactions with the animals and the environment. The collaborative approach to developing this IFMP for walrus that includes representatives from HTOs and other co-management organizations has assisted in the inclusion of IQ, such as decision-making through consensus, working together for a common cause, and respect and care for the land, environment and animals (NWMB). This IFMP will allow for the continued inclusion of IQ, TEK and science as it becomes available.
2.4 Stock Delineation
Two populations of walrus have been identified in Canada based on analysis of microsatellite DNA (Shafer et al. 2013): the high Arctic population (comprised of the West Jones Sound, Baffin Bay and Penny Strait-Lancaster Sound stocks) and the central Arctic population (including the north and central Foxe Basin stocks and the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stocks).
There are a number of factors used in delineating stocks, including ecological factors that determine distribution of walrus (ice cover, polynyas, shallow banks with suitable habitat, migration routes and availability of haulout sites), historical and current distribution, seasonal movements, age and sex composition, catch levels, composition of catches and hunting loss, hunter observations, harvest sites, survey observations, genetic information, satellite tagging data, heavy metal/ organochlorine data, lead isotope ratios and trace elements (Stewart 2008b).
Based on consultations with local communities, stock reassessment by the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) (2011), and Stewart (2008a), six stocks or management units of Atlantic walrus have been identified for management purposes in the NSA (Figure 2).
These include:
Baffin Bay- Management Unit AW-01 (shared with Greenland);
West Jones Sound- Management Unit AW-02;
Penny Strait-Lancaster Sound- Management Unit AW-03;
Foxe Basin- Management Unit AW-04;
Hudson Bay- Davis Strait- Management Unit AW-05 (shared with Nunavik and Greenland);
South and East Hudson Bay- Management Unit AW-06 (shared with Nunavik).
Note: This version of the IFMP does not apply to the Areas of Equal Use and Occupancy as set out in Schedule 40-1 ofthe Nunavut Agreement.
2.5 Precautionary Approach
A precautionary approach to fisheries management links harvest level recommendations with stock assessment data. Lower harvest levels are recommended when stock assessments are uncertain to avoid serious harm to fish or marine mammal stocks or their ecosystem. A lack of stock assessment data should not be used as a reason to postpone, or fail to take, management actions. This approach is widely accepted as an essential part of sustainable fisheries management.
In accordance with the Fisheries Act and the NA, the best available information guides walrus management decisions made on behalf of the NWMB and the Minister. A management decision to restrict Inuit harvesting shall do so only to the extent necessary to affect a valid conservation purpose; to give effect to the allocation system outlined in the NA; or to provide for public health or public safety (NA s. 5.3.3).
The amount of information available for resource management varies among species and populations. For those species where information on abundance, mortality and reproductive rates may be limited, DFO uses the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) method to estimate the maximum number of animals that may be removed by all human activities without depleting the stock or population (DFO 2012b). This total amount of removals accounted for using PBR would include removals of harvested animals, animals shot at, but not harvested (called struck and lost), as well as losses to ship strikes, net entanglements and any other human activities. The PBR is calculated using a number of biological parameters (Stewart 2008b, Stewart and Hamilton 2013).
In calculating sustainable harvest levels, PBR results are multiplied by a Loss Rate (LR) to obtain Total Allowable Landed Catch (TALC) values. Loss rates represent all indirect human caused mortalities (struck and lost, ship strikes, net entanglements). At this time, only struck and lost rates are considered in the estimate of TALC; however, this may change if more information becomes available.
TALC = PBR (1- LR)
Struck and lost rates are incomplete for walrus and can vary with season, weather, location, hunter experience, hunting technique/equipment, and animal behavior. In Canada, struck and lost rates have been documented to range between 30% and 32% (Orr et. al 1986), although some hunters believe the rates to be as low as 5% (DFO 2002a). Inuit harvesters have noted that loss rates will vary depending on when and how the walrus is harvested. NAMMCO applies a struck and lost rate of 30% for those stocks lacking specific loss rate information (2006).
2.6 Stock Assessment and Trends
Most indicators of trends in stock size are based on distributional changes, differences in physical conditions of the animal, and harvest data. Whenever there is a local decrease in numbers, it may be that the animals have moved to another area, but until increases in other parts of the range have been clearly documented, the possibility of a reduction in numbers should be considered.
Walrus are widely distributed in the eastern Canadian Arctic, and are most often found in aggregations, or groups, numbering from the tens, to thousands. In order to estimate walrus numbers, aerial surveys are conducted of walrus haulouts. Walrus haulouts are identified based on a number of factors including information from past surveys, existing scientific information, and local traditional knowledge. Data from satellite tags active during surveys are used to adjust the haulout counts to account for animals at sea, and therefore missed by the survey. If no active tags are in the survey area at the time of the survey, data from other walrus studies are used to estimate the numbers of walrus at sea, and determine an abundance estimate. Although aerial surveys combined with satellite telemetry are the standard methods used to estimate abundance of walrus populations across their range, new approaches, such as genetic capture-mark-recapture methods, should be investigated.
The most recent science advisory report on walrus abundance estimates can be found at:
ENGLISH:http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/350373.pdf; and: http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/365442.pdf
INUKTITUT: https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/41019829.pdf; and https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/41022919.pdf
Baffin Bay (BB) – Management Unit AW-01
In Canada, the Baffin Bay stock extends from eastern Jones Sound to eastern Ellesmere Island and NW Greenland (Stewart 2008a). Analysis of aerial surveys conducted by DFO and Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in 1999, 2005, and 2009 resulted in population abundance estimates ranging from 1,249 to 1,251 and PBR estimates to range from 10 to 11 walrus (DFO 2013, Stewart et al. 2013a, Stewart and Hamilton 2013). See Figure 2.
West Jones Sound (WJS) – Management Unit AW-02
This stock is separated from the Baffin Bay stock by seasonal distribution and tag movements (Stewart 2008a). Aerial surveys by DFO were conducted between 1998 and 2009, resulting in an abundance estimate ranging from 470 to 503, and PBR estimates ranging from 7 to 17 animals (DFO 2013, Stewart et al. 2013b, Stewart and Hamilton 2013). There was no statistically significant evidence of population change between these surveys and the late 1970s, but there were differences in coverage and walrus distribution may have changed. See Figure 2.
Penny Strait- Lancaster Sound (PS/LS) – Management Unit AW-03
This stock is separated from the Baffin Bay stock by isotope data, and from the West Jones Sound stock by distribution and tag movements (Stewart 2008a). Aerial surveys were conducted between 1998 and 2008 and resulted in an abundance estimate of 727 walrus in 2009 and PBR estimates ranging from 10 to 24 animals (DFO 2013, Stewart et al. 2013b, Stewart and Hamilton 2013). There was no statistically significant evidence of a trend in population numbers when the recent surveys were compared to similar surveys in the late 1970s, although differences in coverage and possible changes in walrus distribution may influence comparisons. See Figure 2.
Foxe Basin (FB) – Management Unit AW-04
Stewart (2008b) delineated the Foxe Basin stock into 2 units: northern Foxe Basin stock and central Foxe Basin stock. In Foxe Basin, the two stocks share an overwintering area and breed as a single unit, but they may occupy different areas in the summer and may be susceptible to different hunting pressures. Lead isotope ratios and trace element profiles from teeth suggest two different stocks, and since isotope ratios are a reflection of the migratory patterns of the animals, they are useful in discriminating management units. Although there is evidence to delineate two stocks in the Foxe Basin area, currently there is not enough information (science or TEK) to visually or geographically separate the stocks within the larger Foxe Basin area. Therefore, until additional information is available to further partition this stock, the management of walrus will continue to occur at the larger Foxe Basin management unit. See Figure 2.
Analysis of surveys conducted in 2010 and 2011 resulted in a range of abundance estimates of 8,153-13,452 and PBR estimates ranging from 211-422 walrus (DFO 2016, Stewart et al. 2013c, Stewart and Hamilton 2013).
Changes in the distribution of walrus within Foxe Basin have been documented by local hunters and researchers, with many haulouts being abandoned on the west coast (Mansfield 1966, Brody 1976, Anderson and Garlich-Miller 1994, DFO 2002a). This may suggest declines in numbers of walrus, habitat availability, or both. Local Inuit have noted that ice conditions have changed in Foxe Basin resulting in a reduction of multiyear ice that walrus use for hauling out on.
Hudson Bay-Davis Strait (HBDS)- Management Unit AW-05
Walrus from the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait (HBDS) stock have been distinguished from the other five stocks based on distances, movements, differences in growth patterns, as well as differences in genetics, contaminants, and lead isotope ratios (DFO 2002b, COSEWIC 2006, Stewart 2008a). A comprehensive, systematic survey over the entire geographic area has not occurred for this stock. Currently, due to the limited amount of data over the stock’s full range, it is not possible to determine the size or trend of this stock. See Figure 2.
South and East Hudson Bay (SEHB)- Management Unit AW-06
The South and East Hudson Bay walrus stock was originally delineated by Born et al. (1995) on the basis of distribution, but since then, lead isotope data has provided stronger evidence that supports the differentiation between this stock and the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock (Stewart 2008a). A complete or comprehensive survey of this stock has not been conducted. Based on a few walrus sightings in a large geographical area over a long period of time, Richard and Campbell (1988) and Born et al. (1995) estimated the population size to be a minimum of 410 and 500 animals, respectively (COSEWIC 2006). Currently, due to the limited amount of data, it is not possible to determine the size or trend of this stock. See Figure 2.
Table 2. Abundance Estimates and Potential Biological Removal Levels (PBR) for Atlantic Walrus in the Eastern Canadian Arctic Population Stock/Management Unit Abundance Estimates PBR High Arctic Baffin Bay (BB)/ AW-01 1249-1251 10-11 West Jones Sound (WJS)/ AW-02 470-503 8-17 Penny Strait- Lancaster Sound (PS-LS)/ AW-03 623-831 12-24 Central Arctic Foxe Basin/ AW-04 8,153-13,452 211-422 Hudson Bay-Davis Strait/ AW-05 No recent estimate. — Unknown South and East Hudson Bay/ AW-06 No recent estimate. —
(Stewart and Hamilton 2013, DFO 2013, DFO 2016)
PBR represents the total number of animals that can be removed from all human activities while allowing the stock or population to maintain or achieve its optimal sustainable level.
2.7 Research
The following research is required:
Determine abundance estimates for Hudson Bay-Davis Strait and South and East Hudson Bay stocks;
Apply new methods to determine walrus abundance, such as genetic capture-mark-recapture;
Continue to research genetic diversity and stock discrimination;
Continue to investigate and assess potential threats resulting from human activities (e.g., shipping routes, noise disturbance, tourism);
Determine the extent of exchange between shared Canada/Greenland stocks;
Determine changes in habitat availability (pack ice and food); and
Continue to investigate distribution and abundance of stocks.
3. Social, Cultural and Economic Importance of the Fishery
For centuries, walrus have been used by Inuit as a traditional food source and for supplying important materials for day to day living. Walrus meat is eaten in raw, cooked or fermented (igunak) forms by Inuit. Molluscs found in walrus stomachs are considered a delicacy in some Inuit communities (Whitford 2008). Some communities now obtain their walrus meat and tusks from hunters in other communities rather than conduct their own hunts (DFO 2012a).
Historically, walrus products provided materials for numerous necessities required for arctic living such as bones used for carvings, tent poles, and walking sticks, tusks/ ivory used to construct harpoons, toggles, handles, and handicrafts, sinews used for sewing thread, and skin for tents and ropes. The tusk and baculum (penis bone) are valuable economic commodities and provide important sources of cash income, particularly, for the hunting communities. Ivory from walrus is commonly used for carvings and crafts and is sold both inside and outside the NSA. Although not as much trade occurs with walrus products as some other arctic species, international and domestic trade does still occur, mostly via exporters in southern Canada. International export of walrus products includes carved and un-carved tusks, bones, teeth, skeletons and skulls. International markets for Canadian walrus products include France, India, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, United States and Australia (Shadbolt et. al 2014).
The walrus sport hunt in some communities can provide a major source of cash income through the hiring of local guides, and sport hunters purchasing various goods and services (food, crafts, and accommodations). Sport hunters are permitted to keep the tusks, baculum and head of the walrus, but the meat remains within the community for community use.
Hunting walrus, especially at traditional summer hunting camps, helps foster interdependence both within and between communities, provides opportunities to share knowledge between generations and community members and strengthens kinship ties and community cohesion. These cultural values are difficult to measure in economic terms but are very important to help maintain the Inuit way of life. The walrus hunt itself, as well as the sharing of the products of the hunt, continues to be of great social, cultural and economic significance to Inuit and the economic value of the meat and the ivory is substantial (COSEWIC 2006).
4. Management Issues
IFMPs are required to cover all aspects of a fishery, in particular, those areas that are related to the sustainability of the target species, ecosystem considerations and monitoring. The following represent the main management issues for the Atlantic walrus in the NSA.
4.1 Fisheries Issues
Abundance Estimates
While recent estimates are available for four of the six walrus stocks or management units, abundance estimates are still required for the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock and the South and East Hudson Bay stock. Funding for surveys will be needed to obtain abundance estimates and recommend sustainable harvest levels.
Sustainable Harvest Levels
It is important to ensure the conservation of walrus and that the harvesting of walrus is sustainable. There is growing national and international pressure to demonstrate that walrus are being harvested at sustainable levels. This will require the establishment of sustainable harvest levels for all stocks.
Struck and Lost Rates
Accurate struck and lost rates are important for understanding the impacts of hunting and to maximize sustainable harvest levels. Struck and lost rates vary or are incomplete in the NSA. Determining appropriate struck and lost rates are required in order to estimate sustainable harvest levels.
Hunter Training/ Reducing Loss Rates
Training for harvesters and youth has been identified as an important component for the sustainable management of the walrus fishery. This would include training on the best harvesting techniques, when and where to harvest, hunter safety, preparation and preservation of meat, and how to minimize struck and lost rates. HTOs may develop plans or best management practices that set out practical measures for community hunters to reduce the number of struck and lost walrus while harvesting.
Monitoring and Reporting
Once a TAH/BNL is established for walrus, a method to control removals will be required to ensure walrus harvesting remains within regulated harvest levels.
Timely, accurate reporting of walrus harvesting is essential. Without complete and accurate estimates of local harvesting activity, co-managers must exercise caution when recommending harvest limits so that vital, healthy walrus populations/stocks that are capable of sustaining harvesting needs of Inuit can be maintained. The timeliness of the reporting allows managers to assess the harvest as limits are approached.
Sport Hunt
There is a need for all HTOs that pursue sport hunt opportunities to develop by-laws or guidelines that would identify the community rules or best management practices for the sport hunt.
Ship Traffic/Development/Tourism
There are a number of potential impacts and threats to walrus and walrus habitat resulting from increased development and shipping activities. These could include increased oil spills, ship strikes, disruption of migration, avoidance of ecologically or biologically important areas (e.g. birthing, mating or feeding areas), noise disturbance and the introduction of alien or invasive species through activities such as ballast water exchange. Tourism is increasing in the Arctic and concern with increased disturbance to important walrus areas (e.g. haulouts) has been expressed.
4.2 Oceans and Habitat Considerations
Under the Health of the Oceans Initiative, Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Eastern Arctic were identified (DFO 2011). Experts from Canadian federal departments, academics, Inuit organizations and various environmental non-government organizations having expertise in a number of different areas were involved. EBSAs are intended to identify areas that have high ecological or biological significance and are useful in assisting with management decisions.
The EBSAs were evaluated based on set criteria for marine biogeographic regions. Of the 41 EBSAs identified in the Eastern Arctic, 14 included walrus as a component contributing to the EBSA criteria. The ecological functions identified as being important for walrus included known distribution, presence of haulouts, migration corridors, presence of polynyas, calving areas and feeding grounds.
4.3 National and International Issues
Food Safety
Outbreaks of trichinosis have been reported in Nunavut over the years, most commonly from consuming meat that has been infected with a parasitic worm called Trichinella nativa, which lives inside the bodies of walrus and some other birds and mammals. The Government of Nunavut’s department of health has responsibilities around food safety within the Nunavut Settlement Area and have established programs to test walrus meat for the parasite that causes the disease. Harvesters are asked to contact their HTO or a Government of Nunavut Environmental Health Officer for additional information on the Nunavut Trichinosis Prevention Program.
COSEWIC and SARA
COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) is an independent committee of government and non-government experts that assesses and designates the status of wildlife species that may be in some danger of disappearing from Canada. COSEWIC uses a process based on science, Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge and community knowledge to assess the risk of extinction for wildlife species. Wildlife species that have been designated at risk by COSEWIC may then qualify for legal protection and recovery or management under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
The Species at Risk Act is a federal Act that was created to prevent Canadian species and their distinct populations from becoming extirpated or extinct, to provide for the recovery of Extirpated, Endangered or Threatened species, and to encourage the management of Special Concern species to prevent them from becoming further at risk. In the case of species listed as Special Concern, a management plan must be created which outlines the actions required to help prevent the species from becoming further at risk. For Extirpated, Endangered and Threatened species, a Recovery Strategy and Action Plan are developed which outline exactly what will be done to help recover the species to a larger, “pre-harm” population size. For Extirpated, Endangered and Threatened species, SARA also provides legal protection of their critical habitats and prevents any harm to the species, except under certain circumstances.
In 2006, COSEWIC designated Atlantic walrus as a species of Special Concern. However, the species is scheduled to be reassessed by COSEWIC and while the ‘special concern’ designation for a single population of Atlantic walrus could remain, it could be replaced with a higher designation of risk or multiple populations with multiple at risk designations. Once assessed by COSEWIC the Government of Canada will follow an established process to determine whether or not to recommend listing the species under the Species at Risk Act. This process includes biological, social and economic assessments of possible listing scenarios, as well as consultation with co-management organizations, stakeholders and interested individuals.
This IFMP could help inform any SARA-compliant documents that would be required if walrus was added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk on SARA.
CITES
The Atlantic walrus is listed on Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). As such, anyone wishing to export walrus parts or derivatives from Canada must obtain an export permit from the Canadian CITES administration. A non-detriment finding (indicating that levels of export are not detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild) is not required for species on Appendix III of CITES.
In 2009 and 2012 the United States considered submitting a proposal to up-list walrus to Appendix II of CITES based on the lack of information around the management of the species (e.g. sustainable harvest levels) and population species information (e.g. population abundance estimates). If listed on Appendix II of CITES, a non-detrimental finding (NDF) decision from the DFO Scientific Authority would be required to obtain a CITES Export/Re-export permit to export walrus products internationally.
Shared Stocks: Nunavik
Harvesting of the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait and South and East Hudson Bay stocks occurs in both the Nunavut Settlement Area and Nunavik Marine Region. As there are no population abundance estimates for these two stocks, the existing regulatory regime and quotas identified in the Fisheries Act and the Marine Mammal Regulations, and provisions in the Nunavut Agreement and the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement would continue to apply.
Shared Stocks: Greenland
Some stocks of Atlantic walrus inhabit and are harvested in both Canadian and Greenland waters. As such, it is important that discussions on management and sustainable harvesting occur between the two countries.
5. Objectives
A number of objectives were established for the walrus fishery. Long term objectives guide the management of the fishery and may be categorized as stock conservation, ecosystem, shared stewardship and social, cultural and economic objectives. Each long term objective is supported by one or more short term objectives. Various co-management organizations may take the lead in developing specific actions to address certain objectives.
Table 3. Long and Short-Term Objectives for the Walrus Fishery in the Nunavut Settlement Area Objectives Long-term: Short-term: Stock Conservation Maintain vital, healthy walrus stocks and populations through sustainable use and effective fishery management consistent with the wildlife harvesting and management provisions under the Nunavut Agreement. Improve knowledge of Atlantic walrus biology, abundance and distribution.
Conduct surveys of remaining walrus stocks to obtain abundance estimates.
Use local knowledge/TEK/IQ in aerial survey designs and use local community members in conducting the surveys
Develop training materials for Inuit harvesters to maximize harvest and minimize losses.
Develop communication materials to inform elders, harvesters and community members on research methods, activities and results.
Develop/enhance monitoring program to reduce struck and lost, including an assessment of harvesting methods and equipment, and collection of data on rates of struck and loss. Take a precautionary approach to fishery decisions for walrus stocks or populations. Given uncertainties related to walrus stocks, take a precautionary approach to establishing TAHs and BNLs for each walrus stock or population. Ecosystem Protection of walrus habitat. Continue to identify and document traditional ecological knowledge of important walrus habitats.
Investigate and assess threats resulting from human activities (e.g. shipping routes, sonar, noise disturbance, and tourism).
Support research into the effects of invasive species on walrus and walrus habitat. Shared Stewardship Promote collaboration, participatory decision-making and shared responsibilities with resource users, co-management organizations and other stakeholders. Conduct IFMP evaluations with walrus working groups.
Develop sport hunt guidelines.
Develop appropriate guidelines for activities that could negatively affect walrus Once TAH/BNLs are established for walrus stocks, co-management organizations to implement the shared responsibilities in accordance with land claims agreements, the Fisheries Act¸ and its regulations.
Develop and/or participate in more formalized discussions with Greenland on the management of shared stocks. Social, Cultural and Economic Promote traditional Inuit harvesting techniques and practices within communities. Develop and/or enhance training programs for inexperienced hunters. Promote and maintain vital, healthy, walrus populations capable of sustaining harvesting needs. Increase awareness of the importance of walrus to public, communities, and stakeholders.
Include IQ in all policies and program development.
Promote territorial health programs aimed at food safety. Maintain access to international markets for the export of walrus products. Demonstrate harvest levels and practices are sustainable.
IFMP in place. Compliance Support effective fisheries management through a defined compliance program. Conduct a risk assessment of compliance issues.
Develop a variety of compliance activities and tools to address the identified risks.
Support Communities in the development of by-laws related to walrus or activities that may affect walrus.
6. Access and Allocation
Upon ratification of the NA in 1993, all existing restrictions or quotas on the amount of wildlife that could be harvested within the NSA were retained and deemed to have been established by the NWMB.
6.1 Where a Total Allowable Harvest has not been established
Unless a TAH has been established, an individual Inuk may harvest up to four (4) walrus in a year without a licence (MMR s. 6(1) (c)), except where community quotas exist (MMR s.26). Annual quotas have been set for the communities of Coral Harbour (60), Sanikiluaq (10), Arctic Bay (10) and Clyde River (20).
6.1.1 Sport Hunt
Marine Mammal Fishing Licences may be issued for non-beneficiaries to participate in walrus sport hunts (MMR s.4) provided there is support from the local HTO and annual approval from the NWMB based on its Interim NWMB Sport Hunt Policy. Sport hunters must provide detailed harvest reporting directly to DFO. The full Walrus Sport Hunt Policy can be found in Appendix 3.
6.1.2 Harvest Reporting
Harvest information is provided by Inuit hunters to the HTOs, which is then relayed to DFO (MMR s. 17; Fisheries Act s. 61; NA s. 5.7.43). Appendix 1 provides information on annual quotas and landed catch for communities that have harvested walrus. These numbers are not corrected for hunting losses. A Fishery Officer will notify the community and HTO when the quota has been reached and will close the fishery (MMR s. 12, 26).
6.2 Where a Total Allowable Harvest has been established:
The NWMB is in the process of establishing Total Allowable Harvest (TAH) levels and Basic Needs Levels (BNL) for walrus. In 2013, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans accepted the NWMB’s decision to establish the BNL for beluga, narwhal and walrus in the NSA to be equal to the levels of TAH for those species. Therefore, since the BNL is the first demand on the TAH, Inuit will always have the right to the entire TAH. RWOs and HTOs are responsible for allocating this BNL/TAH, as well as regulating harvesting practices and techniques among their members, including the use of NQLs.
Article 40 of the NA will be considered for other Inuit or aboriginal groups that may demonstrate traditional use of walrus in the NSA.
6.2.1 Total Allowable Harvests
Total Allowable Harvest levels have been established for the following stocks:
Table 4. Total Allowable Harvests established for walrus stocks/management units in the eastern Canadian Arctic Population Stock/ Management Unit Harvesting Community TAH Community Harvest Level High Arctic Baffin Bay /AW-01 Grise Fiord To be established West Jones Sound / AW-02 Grise Fiord To be established Penny Strait- Lancaster Sound /AW-03 Arctic Bay
Pond Inlet
Resolute To be established Central Arctic Foxe Basin / AW-04 Hall Beach
Igloolik To be established
*see Figure 2 for a map of Atlantic walrus by stocks and management units.
6.2.2 Allocation of the TAH:
As identified in the NA, the RWOs will be responsible for allocating annual regional BNL, which in the case of walrus will be the TAH, to their respective community HTOs, regulating their members and fulfilling other wildlife co-management obligations in accordance with the NA. The community HTOs will be responsible for allocating and enforcing the community BNL (community harvest limit) among members, and generally the management of harvesting among members (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Allocation of the Total Allowable Harvest (TAH) and Basic Needs Level (BNL)
Where a TAH has been established for a walrus management unit, the combined annual community harvest limits for that management unit shall not exceed the TAH.
6.2.3 Sport Hunt
An assignment under section 5.7.34 (b) of the NA is used to authorize walrus sport hunts to a person qualified to harvest walrus under the laws of general application. Under this section, a person authorized to harvest walrus under a licence may be assigned part or all of a share of the total allowable harvest by an Inuk, RWO or HTO. Through the assignment provisions, an Inuk, an HTO or a RWO may assign its share of the TAH to a walrus sport hunt, if so desired, so long as the established annual total allowable harvest for that particular management unit is not exceeded.
An assignment under Article 5 of the NA must be evidenced by documentation containing information on both the assignor, and the assignee. Once the required documentation is received by DFO, the Minister may issue a Walrus Marine Mammal Fishing Licence (MMR s.4). The full Walrus Sport Hunt Policy can be found in Appendix 3.
6.2.4 Post-Harvest Walrus Tag
For management units where a TAH has been established.
The Post-Harvest Walrus Tag is an important management tool for RWOs and HTOs to be able to allocate and account for harvesting among their members. Where a TAH has been established, DFO will issue Post-Harvest Walrus Tag to the RWO and/or HTOs in the amount equal to the annual harvest level for the corresponding management unit. Post-Harvest Walrus Tags will be allocated by the RWO/HTO and will be proof of allocation to a share of one walrus from the walrus TAH for a particular management unit. This forms part of the walrus management system in which RWOs and HTOs decide on community allocations, in the form of community harvest limits.
The Post-Harvest Walrus Tag is not a licence to hunt and will be issued without fee or administrative charge. A Walrus Harvest Tag system will assist in:
Evidencing a person’s authority to harvest/possess wildlife appropriate to the particular Management Unit;
Regulating the allocation of a share of TAH, including the BNL, as allocated by the RWO and/or HTO;
Collecting information in relation to harvesting activities;
Regulating harvesting activities in relation to sport hunt assignment.
6.2.5 Harvest Reporting and Monitoring
Hunters provide information on their hunts to their HTO. HTOs will provide the information to the RWO and DFO in a timely manner. A Fishery Officer will notify the community and HTOs when the harvest level has been reached for a management unit and will close the fishery (MMR s. 12, 26).
Harvest information must be reported (MMR s. 17; Fisheries Act s. 61; NA s. 5.7.43):
7. Management Measures for the Duration of the Plan
The management measures identified in the IFMP outline the controls or rules adopted for the walrus fishery for the purposes of stock conservation and sustainable management. These measures are based on the Fisheries Act, the Marine Mammal Regulations and the NA.
The Marine Mammal Regulations (MMR) include provisions related to the hunting, movement, and sale of walrus products. These provisions include requirements for hunters to hunt a walrus in a manner that is designed to kill it quickly, to make reasonable efforts to retrieve a killed or wounded walrus without delay and to have all necessary equipment on hand to retrieve it. Abandoning, discarding or wasting edible parts of walrus is prohibited.
Domestic movement of walrus products requires a DFO Marine Mammal Transportation Licence. Indians or Inuit who land walrus in one jurisdiction and are returning to their home in another jurisdiction are exempted from this requirement. International trade of walrus products requires a CITES Export/Re-export Permit.
A full list of the management measures can be found in Appendix 2.
8. Shared Stewardship Arrangements
The Atlantic walrus IFMP was initiated and developed by the Foxe Basin Walrus Working Group in 2007 and the High Arctic-Baffin Bay Walrus Working Group in 2009. Participation on the Working Groups includes representatives from each of the HTOs, the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board (co-chair), NTI and DFO. Staff from the NWMB have attended Working Group meetings when possible. The Working Groups invite subject-matter experts to provide additional information in the development of the IFMP as required. This has included representatives from the mining industry and community elders.
The Walrus Working Groups produced Terms of References to help guide the development of the IFMP. Meetings have been held in the communities of Resolute, Grise Fiord, Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, Hall Beach and Igloolik to obtain the views of elders and community members on issues related to walrus management, including the identification of fishery issues and long and short term objectives for the fishery.
There are a number of different ways that the objectives for the fishery may be achieved, such as the effective implementation of the management measures identified in Appendix 2. Other measures may be initiated by co-management organizations through the development of by-laws or guidelines. Once developed, these would be included as an Appendix of the IFMP.
9. Compliance Plan
The Conservation and Protection program promotes and maintains compliance with legislation and regulations implemented to achieve the conservation and sustainable use of Canada’s aquatic resources, and the protection of species at risk, fish habitat and oceans. Conservation and Protection works closely with internal partners to evaluate risks to fish and fish habitat to ensure program delivery meets Departmental objectives.
Fishery Officers monitor fishing and related activities to ensure compliance with the Fisheries Act and its regulations as well as several other federal statutes. Fishery Officers investigate violations of these acts and regulations and resolve them by applying various compliance options.
Regional Compliance Program Delivery
Fishery Officers in the Eastern Arctic Area monitor the Atlantic walrus fishery and the trade of Atlantic walrus products for compliance with the MMR which are made pursuant to the Fisheries Act. Conservation and Protection works closely with internal and external partners to consult on and or resolve compliance issues.
Fishery Officers promote compliance with regulations by working with user groups (e.g. hunters and buyers) and other stakeholders to better understand the laws. Fishery Officers engage hunters and people involved in the marine mammal trade industry to provide information that increases awareness and helps address compliance and conservation concerns in the Atlantic walrus fishery. Increased education and awareness will help protect the legal market and trade of Atlantic walrus ivory and parts.
Current Compliance Issues
Specific concerns may arise from: failing to follow conditions of licence for the sport hunt, non-reporting or misreporting of harvest, wastage, illegal harvest or illegal trade and exporting of Atlantic walrus ivory and or parts. Patrols have been conducted in Atlantic walrus hunting areas and communities to monitor these concerns.
Compliance Strategy
Conservation and Protection collaborates with internal and external partners to identify and prioritize compliance issues and works with resource managers to address them.
Fishery Officers focus efforts on:
compliance with legislation, including sport hunt licence conditions;
tusk traceability / illegal trade of ivory tusks;
licence inspections.
Operational Activities include:
Monitoring of Atlantic walrus sport hunts;
Education of user groups and stakeholders;
Inspections of Atlantic walrus products from harvest to export;
Cross reference of harvest data with trade data;
Liaise with Nunavut Conservation Officers and other territorial or provincial law enforcement agencies.
Table 5. Compliance Focus and Strategies for Atlantic Walrus in the Nunavut Settlement Area COMPLIANCE FOCUS Issue Regulation Strategy Monitor harvest and enforce regulations MMR: Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 25 and 26 Hunt monitoring
Inspections
Licences Harvest reporting and quota compliance MMR: Sections 6, 12, 17 and 26 .
Fishery (General) Regulations: Sections 6, 7, 9, 11, 15 and 22 Inspections
Licence cross referencing and issuance
Variation Orders Tusk traceability MMR: Sections 15 and 16 Inspections
10. Performance Review
This Atlantic walrus IFMP was developed through an extensive consultative process including the NWMB, NTI, RWOs, HTOs, walrus hunters and community members. DFO will continue to consult with these groups throughout the life of this IFMP as circumstances require.
Annual post season review sessions will be conducted with co-management organizations and as circumstances require. Progress on achieving the short term objectives and effective implementation of management measures identified in the Plan will be reviewed. Recommendations to improve management of the walrus fishery will be developed to meet the long term objectives of maintaining a sustainable walrus fishery.
References
Anderson, L. E., and J. Garlich-Miller. 1994. Economic analysis of the 1992 and 1993 summer walrus hunts in northern Foxe Basin, Northwest Territories. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2011: iv + 20 p.
Brody, H. 1976. Inuit land use in North Baffin Island and northern Foxe Basin. Pages 152-171 in M. M. R. Freeman (ed.) Inuit land use and occupancy project, Volume 1: Land use and occupancy. Indian and Northern Affairs, Ottawa.
Born, E.W., Gjertz, I, and Reeves, R.R. 1995. Population Assessment of Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus). Meddelelser Nr. 138. Oslo: Norsk Polar Institute. 100pp.
COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). 2006. COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in Canada. Ottawa: COSEWIC.
DFO. 2002a. Proceedings of the RAP Meeting on Atlantic Walrus, 29-30 January, 2002, Navigator Inn, Iqaluit, MU. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. Proceedings Series 2002/24.
DFO. 2002b. Atlantic Walrus. Stock Status Report. E5-17, 18, 19, 20.
DFO. 2007. The Atlantic Walrus: a Species at Risk in the Arctic. DFO/2007-1363.
DFO. 2011. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) in the Canadian Arctic. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2011/055.
DFO. 2012a. Proceedings of the Pre-COSEWIC Peer Review Meeting for Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus). February 28 to March 1,2012. CSAS Proceedings series 2012/041.
DFO. 2012b. Applying the Precautionary Approach to Marine Mammal Harvest in Canada. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. Research Document 2012/107.
DFO. 2013. Estimates of Abundance and Total Allowable Removals for Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in the Canadian Arctic. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. Science Advisory Report 2013/034.
DFO. 2016 Estimates of abundance and total allowable removals for Atlantic walrus (Obodensus rosmarus rosmarus) in Foxe Basin. DFO Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. Science Advisory Report 2016/007.
Garlich-Miller, J., and R. E. A. Stewart. 1998. Growth and sexual dimorphism of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in Foxe Basin, Northwest Territories, Canada. Marine Mammal Science 14: 803-818.
Mansfield, A. W. 1966. The walrus in Canada’s Arctic. Canadian Geographic Journal 72:88-95.
NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission). 2004. Report of the NAMMCO Workshop on Hunting Methods for Seals and Walrus. North Atlantic House Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-9 September 2004.
NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission). 2005. Scientific Subcommittee Working Group on the Stock Status of Walruses in the North Atlantic and Adjacent Seas. NAMMCO/15/5.
NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission) 2006. Scientific Committee Report of the Thirteenth Meeting, Reine, Norway, 25-27 October 2005. NAMMCO/15/15. Presented at the Fifteenth Meeting of the Council, 14-16 March 2006, Selfoss, Iceland.
NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission) 2011. Annual Report 2010.North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, Tromso, Norway, 501 pp.
NCRI (Nunavut Coastal Resource Inventory). 2014. Foxe Basin Walrus. http://www.nwmb.com/inu/public-hearings-meetings/inulimaanik-tuharahuaknik/2015-2/public-hearing-to-consider-the-establishment-of-a-management-unit-and-total-allowable-harvest-for-foxe-basin-walrus/submissions-1/4978-government-of-nunavut-department-of-environment-submission-to-the-nwmb-public-hearing-to-consider-the-establishment-of-a-management-unit-and-total-allowable-harvest-for-foxe-basin-walrus-december-17-2014-eng/file.
NWMB (Nunavut Wildlife Management Board). Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Program and Database. http://www.nwmb.com/en/home/97-english/sidebars/current-initiatives/109-iq-program-and-database.
Orr, J.R., B. Renooy, and L. Dahlke. 1986. Information from Hunts and Surveys of Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) in Northern Foxe Basin, Northwest Territories, 1982-1984. Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1899.
Shadbolt, T., Arnbom, T. and Cooper, E. W. T. 2014. Hauling Out: International Trade and Management of Walrus. TRAFFIC and WWF-Canada. Vancouver, B.C.
Shafer A, Davis CS, Coltman DW, and Stewart REA. 2013. Microsatellite assessment of walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) stocks in Canada. NAMMCO.
Stewart, R.E.A. 2008a. Redefining Walrus Stocks in Canada. Arctic 61:292-398.
Stewart, R.E.A. 2008b. Can We Calculate Total Allowable Harvests for Walrus Using Potential Biological Removal? Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Research Document 2008/025.
Stewart, R.E.A., Born, E.W., Dietz, R., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Rigét, FF., Laidre, K., Villum Jensen, Knutsen, L.Ø., Fossette, S. and Dunn, J.B. 2013a. Abundance of Atlantic walrus in western Nares Strait, Baffin Bay stock, during summer. NAMMCO Sci. Publ. X: xx-xx.
Stewart Robert EA, Born, Erik W., Dunn, J Blair, Koski, William R., and Ryan, Anna K. 2013b. Use of Multiple Methods to Estimate Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) Abundance in the Penny Strait-Lancaster Sound and West Jones Sound Stocks, Canada. NAMMCO Scientific Publications. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7557/3.2608.
Stewart, R.E.A., Hamilton, J.W., and Dunn, J.B. 2013c. Results of Foxe Basin walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) surveys: 2010-2011. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2013/017. iv + 12 p.
Stewart, R.E.A and Jason Hamilton. 2013. Estimating total allowable removals for walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in Nunavut using the potential biological removal approach. CSAS Research Document 2013/031.
Whitford, Jacques. 2008. Socioeconomic Analysis for Atlantic Walrus. Prepared for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region.
Glossary of Terms
Abundance: Number of individuals in a stock or a population.
Basic Needs Level (BNL): Means the level of harvesting by Inuit identified in Sections 5.6.19 to 5.6.25 of the Nunavut Agreement.
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): Committee of experts that assess and designate the conservation status of species that may be at risk in Canada.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): An international agreement to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Harvest Limit: A maximum number of walrus permitted to be landed by a community or from a stock/ management unit in a given time period.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Is a body of knowledge and unique cultural insights of Inuit into the workings of nature, humans and animals.
Marine Mammal Regulations (SOR/93-56): Federal regulations under the Fisheries Act that govern the management and control of fishing for marine mammals and related activities in Canada or in Canadian fisheries waters.
Marine Mammal Fishing Licence: Licence required to fish for marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Regulations (s. 5).
Marine Mammal Transport Licence (MMTL): Licence required for transport of marine mammal parts and products from one province (or territory) to another.
Non-quota Limitation (NQL): Means a limitation of any kind, except a total allowable harvest, and may include a limitation on season of harvest, sex of wildlife, size of wildlife, age of wildlife or method of harvest.
Population: A reproductively isolated group of animals, sharing a habitat.
Potential Biological Removal (PBR): A statistical method currently used by DFO Science to provide recommendations on sustainable harvest levels.
Precautionary Approach (PA): Applying caution to management actions when scientific knowledge is uncertain and not relying on the absence of adequate scientific information as a reason to postpone action to avoid serious harm to wildlife stocks or their ecosystems.
Quota: The number of walrus that can be harvested by a community, as set out in Column 1, Section 26, or by an individual, as per Section 6. (1)(c) of the Marine Mammal Regulations.
Species at Risk Act (SARA): The Canadian Act to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct and secure the necessary actions for their protection and recovery in Canada.
Stock: Refers to a resource management unit. For walrus, it refers to a geographically segregated group of animals that are subject to hunting.
Total Allowable Harvest (TAH): For a stock or population this means an amount of wildlife able to be lawfully harvested as established by the NWMB pursuant to Sections 5.6.16 to 5.6.18 of the NA.
Total Allowable Landed Catch (TALC): A sustainable harvest level recommendation for a stock or population developed by applying an estimate of harvest loss rates as a correction factor in the PBR calculation.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): A cumulative body of knowledge handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment. Inuit hold traditional knowledge on walrus.
Appendix 1. Landed Catch (Subsistence Harvest and Licenced Sport Hunts) of Walrus in Nunavut 2000-2016 Area of Harvest (Stock and Management Unit) Quota ¥ 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Settle-ment Indivi-dual Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Sp Sb Hudson Bay- Davis Strait (AW-05) Clyde River 20 — 0 — 1 — 0 — 0 — 2 — NR — 1 — 0 — NR — NR — NR — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 3 0 Qikiqtarjuaq 4 — 0 0 1 — 33 — 1 — 0 0 NR NR 9 — 6 — NR — NR — 6 — 5 — 10 — 0 — 0 — 7 4 Pangnirtung 4 — 15 — 19 — 9 — 15 — NR — NR — 15 — NR — 10 0 NR — NR — NA — 7 — 0 — 4 — NR 25 Iqaluit 4 — 19 — 7 — 1 — 1 — NR — 10 — 9 — 11 — NR — 14 — 14 — 14 — 19 — 6 — 1 — 11 10 Kimmirut 4 — 0 — 0 — 4 — 7 0 4 — 6 NR 2 — NR — NR — NR — 7 — 0 — 1 — 0 — 2 — 2 3 Chesterfield Inlet 4 — 4 — NR — NR — 4 — 3 — 3 — 0 — 2 — 0 — NR — NR — 7 — 4 — 0 — 15 — 9 5 Cape Dorset 4 0 46 1 10 0 5 — 1 0 NR 0 6 NR 25 — NR — NR — NR — 1 — 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2 Coral Harbour 60 0 1 2 NR 2 28 — 10 — NR 2 15 3 15 NR 4 4 NR 9 6 8 NR 4 7 3 12 7 15 7 15 7 20 9 42 Repulse Bay 4 — 1 — NR 0 20 — NR — 3 — 6 — 6 — 12 — NR — 4 — NR — 0 — 5 — 0 — 0 12 12 Arviat 4 — 1 — NR — 3 — 5 — NR — 1 — 0 — 0 — NR — NR 0 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 0 1 Rankin Inlet 4 — 7 — NR — 12 — 2 — 2 — 3 — 13 — 6 NR 3 — 6 — 2 — 4 — 6 — 0 — 0 15 2 Whale Cove 4 — 0 — NR — 1 — NR — NR — NR — 0 — 0 — NR — NR — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 0 0 TOTALS 0 94 3 38 2 116 0 46 0 14 2 50 3 95 0 41 4 13 9 30 8 30 4 39 3 64 7 21 7 37 7 79 9 106 Total Reported Harvest (Sp + Sb) 94 41 118 46 14 52 98 41 17 39 38 43 67 28 44 86 115 Baffin Bay (AW-01) and West Jones Sound (AW-02) Grise Fiord 4 — 4 — 2 — 3 — 7 — 5 — 2 — 5 — 4 NR NR — 7 — 2 — 4 — NR — 0 — 16 1 0 TOTALS 0 4 0 2 0 3 0 7 0 5 0 2 0 5 0 4 0 0 0 7 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 1 0 0 Penny Strait – Lancaster Sound (AW-03) Arctic Bay 10 — 2 — 2 — 0 — 0 — 1 — NR — 0 — 1 — NR — 0 — 1 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 0 0 Resolute Bay 4 — 0 — NR — 1 — 6 — 4 — 1 — 0 — 1 — NR — 2 — 3 0 2 — 2 — 0 — 1 0 0 Pond Inlet 4 — 5 — 3 — 0 — 1 — 0 — 1 — 0 — 0 — NR — NR — 3 — 0 — NR — 0 — 0 1 1 TOTALS 0 7 0 5 0 1 0 7 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 7 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 Foxe Basin (AW-04) Hall Beach 4 1 87 0 40 4 1 1 87 NR 66 3 75 4 100 — 35 — 33 NR 70 0 75 2 33 1 107 10 NR 2 92 11 36 6 110 Igloolik 4 6 168 12 40 10 NR 14 97 10 NR 12 100 2 184 NR 54 74 — 89 — 141 6 95 4 107 0 NR 0 9 — NR 129 TOTALS 7 255 12 80 14 1 15 184 10 66 15 175 6 284 0 89 0 107 0 159 0 216 8 128 5 214 10 0 2 101 11 36 6 239 Total Reported Harvest (Sp + Sb) 262 92 15 199 76 190 290 89 107 159 216 136 219 10 103 47 245 Southand East Hudson Bay (AW-05) Sanikiluaq 10 — 1 — 0 — 15 — 3 — NR — NR — 2 — NR — 0 — 2 — 2 — 2 — 3 — 0 — 0 1 0 TOTALS 0 1 0 0 0 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Kitikmeot Region Bathurst Inlet 4 NR NR NR NR NR Cambridge Bay 4 0 0 0 0 0 Gjoa Haven 4 0 0 0 NR NR Kugaaruk 4 0 0 0 0 3 Kugluktuk 4 0 0 0 0 0 Taloyoak 4 0 0 0 0 0 Umingmaktok 4 0 0 NR NR NR TOTALS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 NU Reported Totals 7 361 15 125 16 136 15 247 10 90 17 229 9 386 0 136 4 120 9 200 8 257 12 175 8 283 17 21 9 155 18 118 15 346 NU Total Reported Harvest (Sp + Sb) 368 140 152 262 100 246 395 136 124 209 265 187 291 38 164 136 361 Salluit ~ 14 24 17 — 7 — 14 11 0 NR 0 NR 0 NR 0 NR 0 NR ~ The Nunavik community of Salluit conducts licensed sport hunts within the Area of Equal Use and Occupancy described in S. 40 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
Salluit’s sport hunts are licenced by the Eastern Arctic Area office. ¥ see Marine Mammal Regulations (SOR/93-56) S. 6 (1)(c ), S. 6 (2)( c ), and S. 26. Sp Licensed Sport Harvest – a regulated sport hunt is conducted in some Nunavut communities. The NWMB reviews walrus sport hunt applications annually, and transmits its approval decisions to DFO. Approved sport hunts are conducted under DFO license and landings are reported to the DFO Eastern Arctic Area Office, Iqaluit. In cases where sport hunts were approved but not conducted, the landings are reported as ‘0’. ‘NR’ if information has not yet been received Sb Subsistence Harvest – ‘NR’ indicates the community has not reported its subsistence walrus harvest. DFO compiles information on subsistence walrus harvests by telephone calls to community Hunters and Trappers Organizations, or the local Government of Nunavut Wildlife Officers. Igloolik HTA implemented a two year moratorium on walrus sport hunts and tourism. Decision was made November 30, 2007. ‘– ‘ Community does not conduct sport hunts Notes Cresswell Bay is associated to Resolute Bay – there used to be hunt camps there Pangnirtung Subsistence harvest 2001 was originally reported as 19 +/- 1; this value was replaced with the average (19) Coral Harbour Subsistence harvest 2002 was originally reported as 25-30; this value was replaced with the average (28). Coral Harbour Subsistence harvest 2009 was originally reported as 5-6; this value was replaced with the average (6). Qikiqtarjuaq Subsistence harvest 2010 was orginally reported as 5-6; the value was replaced with the average (6). Hall Beach Subsistence harvest 2010 was orginally reported as 70-80; the value was replaced with average (75). Qikiqtarjuaq Subsistence harvest 2011 was orginally reported as 4-5; the value was replaced with average (5). Hall Beach Subsistence harvest 2011 was originally reported as 30-35; the value was replaved with average (33). Harvest season runs from April 1 to March 31
Appendix 2. Overview of Current Management Measures for the Atlantic Walrus Fishery in the Nunavut Settlement Area Management Measure Applicable Legislation/ Regulation Harvest Levels Unless a TAH is in place, an Inuk may, without a licence, fish for food, social or ceremonial purposes for four (4) walrus in a year except where community quotas exist (Coral Harbour (60), Sanikiluaq (10), Arctic Bay (10) and Clyde River (20)).(MMR, s. 6 and 26).
Where a TAH has been established, annual harvest may not exceed the total allowable harvest level established for a particular management unit. Monitoring and Reporting Harvest information must be reported (MMR s. 17; Fisheries Act s. 61; and the NA s. 5.7.43).
When the quota or total allowable harvest level is reached, the community will be notified and the fishery will be closed (MMR s. 12 and 26). Licences The Minister may issue a marine mammal fishing licence (MMR s. 4).
The Minister may issue a licence for certain activities such as for tagging (satellite tracking), live capture, biopsies (MMR s. 11). Post-Harvest Walrus Tag Where a TAH has been established, DFO will issue Post-Harvest Walrus Tags to the RWO and/or HTOs in the amount equal to the annual harvest level for the corresponding management unit. These tags will be issued without fee or administrative charge and are not to be considered a licence to hunt. Humane Harvesting Hunters shall only kill a walrus in a manner that is designed to kill it quickly(MMR s. 8).
No person shall disturb a walrus except when hunting for walrus (MMR s. 7). Reducing Loss Rates Hunters must have all necessary equipment on hand to retrieve a hunted walrus (MMR s. 9).
Hunters that kill or wound a walrus must make all reasonable efforts to retrieve it without delay, must not abandon or discard it, or waste any edible part of a walrus (MMR s. 10).
Hunters are to use a rifle or shotgun with the following restrictions: a) a rifle and non-full metal jacketed ammunition that produce a muzzle energy of not less than 1,500 foot pounds; or b) a shotgun and rifled slugs that produce a muzzle energy of not less than 1,500 foot pounds (MMR s. 25). Sale and Transportation A Marine Mammal Transportation Licence is required to transport walrus or walrus parts from one province to another (MMR s. 16).
A CITES Export Permit is required to transport walrus products outside of Canada. Habitat/Ecosystem Protection Fisheries Act s. 35: prohibits any person from carrying on any work, undertaking or activity that results in serious harm to walrus that are part of a commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fishery, unless authorized by the Minister.
Appendix 3. Walrus Sport Hunt Policy in the Nunavut Settlement Area
A. Where a Total Allowable Harvest has been established for a walrus stock or population
Where the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) establish a total allowable harvest (TAH) for a stock or population of walrus in the Nunavut Settlement Area (NSA), the assignment provisions of the Nunavut Agreement (NA) shall be used to assign part or all of the TAH to a walrus sport hunt.
In 2013, the Minister of DFO accepted the NWMB’s decision to establish the basic needs levels (BNL) for beluga, narwhal and walrus in the NSA to be equal to the levels of total allowable harvest (TAH) established or modified by the NWMB. As per the NA, Hunters and Trappers Organizations (HTO) and Regional Wildlife Organizations (RWOs) are responsible for allocating their community’s and regional TAH to their members and the assignment to non-members (e.g. walrus sport hunt) (s. 5.7.3 and 5.7.6).
An assignment under section 5.7.34 (b) of the NA is used to authorize walrus sport hunts to a person qualified to harvest walrus under the laws of general application, so long as the established annual total allowable harvest for that particular management unit is not exceeded.
Under sections 5 and 6 of the Marine Mammal Regulations, no person other than an Indian, Inuk, or beneficiary, may fish for walrus except under the authority of a licence.
If an HTO wishes to assign part or all of a share of their community’s allocation of the TAH for walrus sport hunting purposes, the following process will be undertaken to obtain a valid Marine Mammal Fishing Licence prior to engaging in walrus hunting activities:
The HTO will:
Complete and submit the Sport Hunt Application package to DFO. Upon receiving the completed documents and payment of fee, the Minister of DFO may issue a Marine Mammal Fishing Licence for walrus pursuant to section 4(1) of the Marine Mammal Regulations. All conditions identified on the Marine Mammal Fishing Licence must be followed by the assignee (sport hunter). The Marine Mammal Regulations (MMR) include provisions related to the hunting, movement, and sale of walrus products. These provisions include requirements for hunters to report on harvesting activities, to collect biological samples, to hunt in a manner that is designed to kill the walrus quickly, to make reasonable efforts to retrieve a killed or wounded walrus without delay and to have all necessary equipment on hand to retrieve it. Abandoning, discarding or wasting edible parts of walrus is prohibited. Any HTO by-laws that are in place governing walrus hunting will also be followed by the assignee (sport hunter). A DFO Marine Mammal Transportation Licence is required to transport walrus or walrus parts from one province to another (MMR s. 16(1)). These are free and available from a DFO Fishery Officer or from the community’s local Conservation Officer. Anyone wishing to export walrus parts or derivatives from Canada must obtain an export permit from the Canadian CITES administration. These permits can take several weeks to obtain. For more information, contact the DFO CITES Permitting Officer at: (888) 641-6464.
B. Where a TAH has not been established for a walrus stock or population
Each year the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) requests applications (Request to Conduct Walrus Sport Hunts) from communities and individuals for walrus sport hunts. These applications are reviewed by the NWMB according to its Interim Policy for Walrus Sport Hunts. Decisions of the NWMB are forwarded to the Minister of Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO). If approved, and upon payment of fee, the Minister will provide the applicant with a Marine Mammal Fishing Licence under section 4(1) of the Marine Mammal Regulations. The process is detailed in the steps below:
Request to conduct walrus sport hunt: Each fall, the NWMB seeks applications from individuals and communities who wish to conduct walrus sport hunts for the following walrus harvesting season (April 1-March 31). Applicants are required to submit a completed “Request to Conduct Walrus Sport Hunt” form that includes information on the hunt plan, outfitter information, a safety plan, and evidence of support from the local HTO. NWMB review of applications: The NWMB reviews the Requests to Conduct Walrus Sport Hunts against its Interim Policy for Walrus Sport Hunts. This Policy seeks to consider conservation concerns, health and safety, humane harvesting and minimization of waste, and long-term economic, social and cultural interests of Inuit harvesters, in making sport hunt decisions. NWMB decision to DFO: Decisions of the NWMB in relation to the walrus sport hunt are forwarded to the Minister of DFO as per the NA. Additional conditions may be included with the NWMB decision, such as the assignment of each walrus to a sport hunter is made in writing and that individuals applying for walrus sport hunts obtain written support from their local HTO. DFO review: The decisions of the NWMB are forwarded to the Minister of DFO for review. If approved, DFO will notify successful applicants. Upon receiving the completed “Assignment Document”, “Hunter Information Sheet”, and payment of fee, the Minister of DFO will issue a Marine Mammal Fishing Licence for walrus pursuant to section 4(1) of the Marine Mammal Regulations. Marine Mammal Fishing Licence: All conditions identified on a Marine Mammal Fishing Licence must be followed. Such conditions include: when and where the hunt is authorized to take place, by whom, their country of origin, quotas, gear type to be used, as well as any specific conditions related to the hunt, such as the reporting of all hunts to the local DFO office, firearm muzzle velocity requirements, the total number of strikes allowed, as well as biological sampling requirements. Any HTO by-laws that are in place governing walrus hunting should be followed by the sport hunter. A DFO Marine Mammal Transportation Licence is required to transport walrus or walrus parts from one province to another (MMR s. 16(1)). These are free and available from a DFO Fishery Officer or from a local Conservation Officer. Anyone wishing to export walrus parts or derivatives from Canada must obtain an export permit from the Canadian CITES administration. These permits can take several weeks to obtain. For more information, contact the DFO CITES Permitting Officer at: (888) 641-6464.
Annual Iqaluit walrus hunt sees community share meat, tradition – National
Send this page to someone via email
IQALUIT, Nunavut — A man slides a walrus flipper the size of his arm into a black garbage bag and ties it up with a grin.
A woman carefully handles a set of ribs, tucks them into a grocery bag and places them in a cooler.
It’s an hour before sunset in Iqaluit and a group of walrus hunters has just returned to hand out the fresh catch to the community.
Trucks line Iqaluit’s causeway and residents stand — plastic bags, buckets and coolers in hand — ready to greet The Black Jet, one of the walrus hunter’s boats.
Crew members fill deep plastic buckets with pieces of walrus, or aiviq in Inuktitut. The meat is hauled up from the boat’s belly using pulleys, then dumped onto a thick sheet of plastic that covers the dock’s snowy surface.
Story continues below advertisement
There’s no pushing or fighting over cuts of meat. Elders are given priority. Hunters personally pack bags of the best pieces for them to enjoy.
Nearly 100 residents pass through over the next hour to collect the meat. Shouts of “Nakurmiik!” or thank you, ring over the slosh of walrus meat spilling out bucket by bucket.
View image in full screen Iqaluit residents get their share of freshly-caught walrus, after the community’s annual walrus hunt wrapped up a successful harvest, on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emma Tranter). THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emma Tranter
Some of the most sought-after pieces are the intestines and stomach, because they can contain mollusks, which are considered a delicacy.
Before the meat reaches residents, conservation officers test the catch for trichinella, which is caused by a parasite sometimes found in the marine mammal that can make people sick. All the walruses caught on this year’s hunt tested negative.
The annual hunt, which usually happens in the fall, is supported by community businesses that supply the hunters with food, gas and propane.
Story continues below advertisement
This year’s event was Joshua Mike’s tenth. It was also the first for Mike’s 11-year-old son, who caught his first walrus.
“It’s very nice to pass down the knowledge to the next generation that will be doing this in the future,” Mike said.
1:40 COVID-19 pandemic partly to blame for rising food prices: ‘Meat has gone crazy!’ COVID-19 pandemic partly to blame for rising food prices: ‘Meat has gone crazy!’ – Oct 2, 2020
Mike, his son and 11 other hunters looked for walruses over four days, sailing about 70 kilometres south of Iqaluit.
He said the crew spotted five of the creatures with their prominent tusks and whiskers perched not far from the boat on the first morning.
That’s when his son got his first catch.
“That was the biggest highlight. It was a very memorable moment.”
Mike estimates that, all together, the crew brought back 12 to 15 walruses for the community.
Story continues below advertisement
Walrus hunters need to be careful, Mike explained. The animals are known to be aggressive and adult males can weight up to 1,100 kilograms.
“They’re very dangerous animals, that’s for sure. We just tell people to stay calm, shoot the animal first to slow them down and then harpoon them.”
Walrus is an important traditional food source for Inuit throughout Nunavut. The animals are hunted year-round, and the meat is eaten raw, cooked or fermented.
For Mike, providing fresh walrus meat to Iqaluit’s elders makes the trip “even more worthwhile.”
“It felt great seeing the elders enjoying something they can’t get themselves,” he said.
As for next year’s hunt, Mike already knows who his newest crew member will be.
“I got two sons, so I think the other one will have his turn.”
— This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
키워드에 대한 정보 walrus hunting canada
다음은 Bing에서 walrus hunting canada 주제에 대한 검색 결과입니다. 필요한 경우 더 읽을 수 있습니다.
이 기사는 인터넷의 다양한 출처에서 편집되었습니다. 이 기사가 유용했기를 바랍니다. 이 기사가 유용하다고 생각되면 공유하십시오. 매우 감사합니다!
사람들이 주제에 대해 자주 검색하는 키워드 How Sustainable Hunting Makes a Difference – An Epic Hunt In The Arctic For Walrus
- hunt
- hunting
- hunter
- trophy hunting
- trophy hunter
- big game hunting
- bug game hunter
- safari
- rifle hunting
- predator hunting
- crocodile hunting
- conservation
- hunters
- deer hunter
- hunting video
- outdoors
- fishing
- nature
- bowhunting
- deerhunting
- camping
- howtohunt
- whatgetsyououtdoors
- outdoor
- huntinglife
- rifle
- usa
- photography
- archery
- hunting season
- travel
How #Sustainable #Hunting #Makes #a #Difference #- #An #Epic #Hunt #In #The #Arctic #For #Walrus
YouTube에서 walrus hunting canada 주제의 다른 동영상 보기
주제에 대한 기사를 시청해 주셔서 감사합니다 How Sustainable Hunting Makes a Difference – An Epic Hunt In The Arctic For Walrus | walrus hunting canada, 이 기사가 유용하다고 생각되면 공유하십시오, 매우 감사합니다.
