The quota for narwhals and polar bears in Ittoqqortoormiit has been exhausted, and the hunting industry is in crisis. This is according to the hunting association in the town, and now the Greenlandic government is taking extraordinary measures to resolve the situation.
In recent years, the fishing quotas in Ittoqqortoormiit have been used up already during the spring. The quotas are far too tight, according to the fishing associations, among others, and this ultimately affects the fishing industry and the families of the fishermen.
– Narwhal hunting is the most important industry in the town, but the quota has become so small that the hunters cannot sell their catch because they must have their own meat and pelt, said the chairman of the hunters’ association in Ittoqqortoormiit, Åge Hammeken Danielsen, to Sermitsiaq on June 20.
– And if the hunters can’t sell their catch, they have no income, he said.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, the Greenland Government is introducing extraordinary measures.
In a press release, the Minister of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, Peter Borg (D), states that a total of five extra narwhals will be allocated to the commercial hunters in Ittoqqortoormiit, so that the hunters’ families can get fresh meat. They will be taken from last year’s narwhal quota for the Kangerlussuaq area, which was not used up last year, they write.
In addition, the musk ox hunt, which originally only ran from August 1 to October 15, is being expanded. Now, people with a commercial hunting license in Ittoqqortoormiit are allowed to catch a maximum of two musk oxen per person in the period July 15 to July 31 – taken from the total annual quota.
According to the Department of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, there will be approximately 20 musk oxen in total if all commercial hunters choose to hunt.
– In addition, the naalakkersuisoq member is in written dialogue with the mayor of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq about other plans and existing initiatives as well as long-term solution options, writes Peter Borg (D) in the press release.
The polar bear quota, which this year was 35 in Ittoqqortoormiit, was exhausted back in April. The quota for narwhals this year was 17, and it was used up – in a single day, writes Sermitsiaq – in May.