Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) Vice-President James Eetoolook today announced that the carry-over policy implemented as part of the integrated fisheries management plan for narwhal was extended to cover the 2015 summer harvest of narwhal from the north Hudson Bay sub-population.
NTI, Hunters and Trappers Organizations (HTOs) and the Regional Wildlife Organizations (RWOs) worked with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) for the last five years to develop the integrated fisheries management plan.
“The result is a plan that respects the rights and authority granted to Inuit under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and incorporates the complementary principles of Inuit qaujimajatuqangit and science,” said Eetoolook. “This is good news for Inuit harvesters. It allows Inuit to be partners in the management of narwhal harvesting, allows the carry-over of unused tags for one year, and results in an increase of the number of narwhal that can be harvested from the north Hudson Bay population this year. This is how we envisioned wildlife management would work when we negotiated the NLCA on behalf of Inuit,” said Eetoolook.
A total of 82 unused tags will be carried over to the 2015 season, that is added to this years TAH of 147 for a total of 239 narwhal tags for the north Hudson Bay population. This will be shared among all communities permitted to harvest from this population.
Prior to the implementation of the carry-over policy, unused tags were returned to DFO and Inuit lost access to the unused tags. Under the new regime, RWOs are able to keep the unused tags for one year and reallocate them to HTOs.
