A. Species
Scientific name: Monodon monoceros
Common name(s): Narwhal
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Nunavut
Country/Region: Canada / Nunavut
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Individual Site
Name/Details of location: Naujaat (formerly Repulse Bay)
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1981
End Year: 2018
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Ceremony and ritual expression and Decorative and aesthetic
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study undertook to estimate the population trajectory and predict future population trends under various harvest scenarios. A Bayesian population model was fitted to four aerial survey estimates and harvest data from 1951 to 2018
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The current rate of harvest (157 narwhal per year) was modelled by this study to predict a 68% decline in the Hudson Bay Narwhal population within 10 years.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although narwhal hunting is culturally, traditionally, socially and economically important to this Inuit community, the study shows that the population cannot sustain current rates (n=157) of harvest (where there are also other pressures on the population, such as climate change effects). However, the equilibrium point at which there would be 95% confidence in population stability (under current environmental conditions) = 36; that is a much smaller harvest would be sustainable.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although narwhal hunting is culturally, traditionally, socially and economically important to this Inuit community, the study shows that the population cannot sustain current rates (n=157) of harvest (where there are also other pressures on the population, such as climate change effects). However, the equilibrium point at which there would be 95% confidence in population stability (under current environmental conditions) = 36; that is a much smaller harvest would be sustainable.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Local indigenous species have hunted and consumed narwhal for generations.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: study does not record this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: study does not record this
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
If the harvesting of whales is not possible in the future (because of biological limitations), the economic ramifications will affect not only Hudson Bay communities, but also those in other areas of Nunavut and Nunavik. The ban on trading narwhal products outside of Canada has likely affected Hudson Bay communities, yet this lost revenue appears small compared to the costs associated with hunting. As the preliminary details of these hunts have been presented here, more research is needed to gain a better understanding of various aspects of these activities in northern communities.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12925
Date of record entry: 2022-12-02