If Naalakkersuisut grants an extra quota of beluga and narwhal for Ittoqqortoormiit, the catch will not be sustainable, states the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. But both Naalakkersuisut and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources are showing indifference to a population group that is currently in a serious crisis, believes Inatsisartut member Jens NapãtôK’ from Naleraq

Attention is currently focused on the serious hunting situation in Ittoqqortoormiit, where the modest annual quota for narwhals of 17 was already exhausted in one hunting day in mid-May, which, according to the local fishing and hunting association, leaves the hunting families in an unusually difficult situation. 

Right now

Although a group of narwhals was spotted on an ice crack near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, the allocation of an extra quota will mean that the catch will not be sustainable, according to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. And this announcement is met with great criticism from Jens NapãtôK’, who is a member of Inatsisartut for Naleraq.

Attention is currently focused on the serious hunting situation in Ittoqqortoormiit, where the modest annual quota for narwhals of 17 was already exhausted in one hunting day in mid-May, which, according to the local fishing and hunting association, leaves the hunting families in an unusually difficult situation. 

Right nowAnnouncement

Although a group of narwhals was spotted on an ice crack near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, the allocation of an extra quota will mean that the catch will not be sustainable, according to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. And this announcement is met with great criticism from Jens NapãtôK’, who is a member of Inatsisartut for Naleraq.

To bestande

It is the North Atlantic Marine Mammals Commission, NAMMCO, which is a joint commission for the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway, and which works for the sustainable and responsible exploitation of, among other things, whales in the North Atlantic, which, together with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, analyzes the available documentation and advises on narwhals and belugas in East Greenland. The working group met at the end of 2023.

As for the narwhals in Ittoqqortoormiit, the conclusion, according to Fernando Ugarte, who is the head of the Department of Mammals and Birds at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, is that they are caught from two different populations. Some years, one is caught in the spring near Ittoqqortoormiit, and these narwhals are genetically related to narwhals from the national park and Svalbard. In a winter count in 2023, some narwhals were observed east of Ittoqqortoormiit, but they were not enough to advise on quotas.

The second population is caught in the summer at the bottom of the fjord system, as well as in the southern parts and on the Blosseville coast. These whales are some of the most researched narwhals in the world, and there is ample documentation that the population is declining and the catch is not sustainable, states Fernando Ugarte.

Not sustainable in Ittoqqortoormiit

Narwhals found near Ittoqqortoormiit in June, according to Fernando Ugarte, probably belong to the northern population, which may go to the national park in the summer.

– During the count of narwhals east of Ittoqqortoormiit in May 2022, there were not very many narwhals in the area, which is why NAMMCO’s scientific committee recommends no capture of these narwhals, he says.

It is also advised not to catch small narwhal populations, which are less than about 1,000 animals, unless there is enough data to ensure that there is a 90 percent probability that the population will not decline, and that it can be documented with 80 percent certainty that the population is larger than 300 animals, says Fernando Ugarte, emphasizing that these criteria are not met for the narwhals caught in the spring through June at Ittoqqortoormiit.

– If the Greenlandic Government grants an additional narwhal quota for Ittoqqortoormiit, which can be caught in August or later, it is certain that these narwhals will belong to the population that is now critically endangered and the catch will not be sustainable, says Fernando Ugarte.

Big decline in Tasiilaq

The narwhal population in the Tasiilaq area is in such decline that even small quotas are not sustainable, he states.

– We observed some narwhals in the area during the aerial census in the summer of 2008, and genetic samples that we have obtained from the captives show that these narwhals were different from other narwhals.

– And even though we flew in areas near Tasiilaq and south, which were chosen by the hunters themselves, we did not see any narwhals during the 2016 and 2022 aerial surveys in the summer. It is also no longer common to catch narwhals in the summer near Tasiilaq, and if there are still narwhals in the area, there are very few left, says Fernando Ugarte.

Most narwhals caught at Tasiilaq in recent years are caught in winter and spring, while the vast majority of summer catches take place in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord or nearby, halfway between Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit. Counts from 2008, 2016 and 2022 show a clear decline in the number of narwhals in the Kangerlussuaq area, which is why there is no advisory for catching in Tasiilaq and Kangerlussuaq, says Fernando Ugarte.

According to information from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, narwhals swim back year after year to exactly the same places, which is why they are observed every year, even though the population is declining.

Ingen fast bestand

According to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, there is no permanent population of belugas that belongs to East Greenland.

– Just like in Southwest Greenland, the USA or Europe, you can sometimes see roaming belugas from more northern populations, migrating far from their core areas. What is special in recent years is that some larger groups of belugas have passed by East Greenland since 2017.

– Genetic analyses show that some of them are closely related to the beluga whales from Svalbard, a small population that was severely reduced by hunting in the last century and which is still small in number despite decades of conservation.

– Others come from even further afield. Some come from the Kara Sea off Russia and others, surprisingly, from the Beaufort Sea, off Canada and Alaska. Belugas from the Beaufort Sea normally migrate towards the Pacific Ocean in the winter. We don’t know if these belugas will migrate back to their original areas, says Fernando Ugarte.

Does not recommend catching

NAMMCO’s scientific committee recommends no beluga whale hunting in East Greenland for two reasons.

The first is that it would not be possible for belugas to establish themselves in new areas in East Greenland while they are being hunted, while the second is that some of these belugas come from Svalbard, where the population is not large enough to withstand hunting.

Indifferent to East Greenlanders

Jens NapãtôK’, Naleraq, who is a member of Parliament, does not give much attention to the fact that the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources does not recommend that the Government allocate extra quotas for both humpback whales and white whales, neither for Ittoqqortoormiit nor for Tasiilaq and the surrounding villages.– They don’t care about the original population of East Greenland. They think it’s best that the population starves to death or moves to another place, and they value it more that East Greenland becomes one big Zoo.

– The coastline in East Greenland is huge, and is a habitat for many beluga and narwhals, which cannot be exterminated by such a small population.

– The limited knowledge about the occurrences cannot form the basis for a total ban on fishing, which is the most important basis for the existence of the local population, says Jens NapãtôK’, who himself originally comes from Ittoqqortoormiit.

Several narwhals were spotted on an ice crevasse near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, which subsequently prompted locals and several politicians to demand, in vain, that an additional quota be allocated.

At the beginning of June, Jens NapãtôK’ wrote an open letter to Naalakkersuisoq for Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, Peter Borg, Demokraatit, about the hunting situation, including in East Greenland, to which the response was, among other things, that the coalition parties in Naalakkersuisut find it important that there are also game animals for future generations, and that the exploitation of game animals must be based on the principle of sustainability – a statement that Jens NapãtôK’, political spokesperson and group chairman for Naleraq, finds highly unsatisfactory.

Attention is currently focused on the serious hunting situation in Ittoqqortoormiit, where the modest annual quota for narwhals of 17 was already exhausted in one hunting day in mid-May, which, according to the local fishing and hunting association, leaves the hunting families in an unusually difficult situation. 

Right now

Although a group of narwhals was spotted on an ice crack near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, the allocation of an extra quota will mean that the catch will not be sustainable, according to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. And this announcement is met with great criticism from Jens NapãtôK’, who is a member of Inatsisartut for Naleraq.

Attention is currently focused on the serious hunting situation in Ittoqqortoormiit, where the modest annual quota for narwhals of 17 was already exhausted in one hunting day in mid-May, which, according to the local fishing and hunting association, leaves the hunting families in an unusually difficult situation. 

Right nowAnnouncement

Although a group of narwhals was spotted on an ice crack near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, the allocation of an extra quota will mean that the catch will not be sustainable, according to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. And this announcement is met with great criticism from Jens NapãtôK’, who is a member of Inatsisartut for Naleraq.

To bestande

It is the North Atlantic Marine Mammals Commission, NAMMCO, which is a joint commission for the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway, and which works for sustainable and responsible exploitation of, among other things, whales in the North Atlantic, which, together with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, analyzes the available documentation and advises on narwhals and belugas in East Greenland. The working group met at the end of 2023.

As for the narwhals in Ittoqqortoormiit, the conclusion, according to Fernando Ugarte, who is the head of the Department of Mammals and Birds at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, is that they are caught from two different populations. Some years, one is caught in the spring near Ittoqqortoormiit, and these narwhals are genetically related to narwhals from the national park and Svalbard. In a winter count in 2023, some narwhals were observed east of Ittoqqortoormiit, but they were not enough to advise on quotas.

The second population is caught in the summer at the bottom of the fjord system, as well as in the southern parts and on the Blosseville coast. These whales are some of the most researched narwhals in the world, and there is ample documentation that the population is declining and the catch is not sustainable, states Fernando Ugarte.

Not sustainable in Ittoqqortoormiit

Narwhals found near Ittoqqortoormiit in June, according to Fernando Ugarte, probably belong to the northern population, which may go to the national park in the summer.

– During the count of narwhals east of Ittoqqortoormiit in May 2022, there were not very many narwhals in the area, which is why NAMMCO’s scientific committee recommends no capture of these narwhals, he says.

It is also advised not to catch small narwhal populations, which are less than about 1,000 animals, unless there is enough data to ensure that there is a 90 percent probability that the population will not decline, and that it can be documented with 80 percent certainty that the population is larger than 300 animals, says Fernando Ugarte, emphasizing that these criteria are not met for the narwhals caught in the spring through June at Ittoqqortoormiit.

– If the Greenlandic Government grants an additional narwhal quota for Ittoqqortoormiit, which can be caught in August or later, it is certain that these narwhals will belong to the population that is now critically endangered and the catch will not be sustainable, says Fernando Ugarte.

Big decline in Tasiilaq

The narwhal population in the Tasiilaq area is in such decline that even small quotas are not sustainable, he states.

– We observed some narwhals in the area during the aerial census in the summer of 2008, and genetic samples that we have obtained from the captives show that these narwhals were different from other narwhals.

– And even though we flew in areas near Tasiilaq and south, which were chosen by the hunters themselves, we did not see any narwhals during the 2016 and 2022 aerial surveys in the summer. It is also no longer common to catch narwhals in the summer near Tasiilaq, and if there are still narwhals in the area, there are very few left, says Fernando Ugarte.

Most narwhals caught at Tasiilaq in recent years are caught in winter and spring, while the vast majority of summer catches take place in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord or nearby, halfway between Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit. Counts from 2008, 2016 and 2022 show a clear decline in the number of narwhals in the Kangerlussuaq area, which is why there is no advisory for catching in Tasiilaq and Kangerlussuaq, says Fernando Ugarte.

According to information from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, narwhals swim back year after year to exactly the same places, which is why they are observed every year, even though the population is declining.

Ingen fast bestand

According to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, there is no permanent population of belugas that belongs to East Greenland.

– Just like in Southwest Greenland, the USA or Europe, you can sometimes see roaming belugas from more northern populations, migrating far from their core areas. What is special in recent years is that some larger groups of belugas have passed by East Greenland since 2017.

– Genetic analyses show that some of them are closely related to the beluga whales from Svalbard, a small population that was severely reduced by hunting in the last century and which is still small in number despite decades of conservation.

– Others come from even further afield. Some come from the Kara Sea off Russia and others, surprisingly, from the Beaufort Sea, off Canada and Alaska. Belugas from the Beaufort Sea normally migrate towards the Pacific Ocean in the winter. We don’t know if these belugas will migrate back to their original areas, says Fernando Ugarte.

Does not recommend catching

NAMMCO’s scientific committee recommends no beluga whale hunting in East Greenland for two reasons.

The first is that it would not be possible for belugas to establish themselves in new areas in East Greenland while they are being hunted, while the second is that some of these belugas come from Svalbard, where the population is not large enough to withstand hunting.

Indifferent to East Greenlanders

Jens NapãtôK’, Naleraq, who is a member of Parliament, does not give much attention to the fact that the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources does not recommend that the Government allocate extra quotas for both humpback whales and white whales, neither for Ittoqqortoormiit nor for Tasiilaq and the surrounding villages.– They don’t care about the original population of East Greenland. They think it’s best that the population starves to death or moves to another place, and they value it more that East Greenland becomes one big Zoo.

– The coastline in East Greenland is huge, and is a habitat for many beluga and narwhals, which cannot be exterminated by such a small population.

– The limited knowledge about the occurrences cannot form the basis for a total ban on fishing, which is the most important basis for the existence of the local population, says Jens NapãtôK’, who himself originally comes from Ittoqqortoormiit.

Several narwhals were spotted on an ice crevasse near Ittoqqortoormiit over the weekend, which subsequently prompted locals and several politicians to demand, in vain, that an additional quota be allocated.

At the beginning of June, Jens NapãtôK’ wrote an open letter to Naalakkersuisoq for Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, Peter Borg, Demokraatit, about the hunting situation, including in East Greenland, to which the response was, among other things, that the coalition parties in Naalakkersuisut find it important that there are also game animals for future generations, and that the exploitation of game animals must be based on the principle of sustainability – a statement that Jens NapãtôK’, political spokesperson and group chairman for Naleraq, finds highly unsatisfactory.