Protected status, data shortage cited for decades-long Ungava Bay beluga hunt ban – Nunatsiaq News
Jan 3, 2023
Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it’s collaborating with communities to fill research gaps
A lack of data and an endangered species status are the reasons a ban on beluga whale hunting in Ungava Bay remains in place, according to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
However, the department says it is working with communities to build a foundation of knowledge that could, possibly, see the ban reconsidered.
In 1986, the DFO banned beluga hunting in Marralik Estuary, also known as Mucalic Estuary.
That area, located between Kuujjuaq and Kangiqsualujjuaq, is a traditional beluga hunting ground, said James May, president of the Nunavik Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Organization.
May’s organization, also referred to as RNUK, is gathering a mix of scientific and traditional Inuit knowledge to convince Fisheries and Oceans to overturn the ban.
