Hunting_Narwhal_Greenland

Emma_Hemmerle — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 09:43:31 +0000

Hunting_Narwhal_Greenland Emma_Hemmerle Wed, 02/02/2022 - 09:43

Affiliation

IIED

Date Of Record Entry

Wed, 02/02/2022 - 12:00

Type of wild species covered by the record

Wild species used in its natural habitat

Stage of the value chain covered by the record

Primary Producer/harvester (e.g., NTFP collectors, egg collectors)

Record Source

“Grey” literature (e.g., NGO reports, case studies, non-detriment studies; project documents etc. (not necessarily peer-reviewed))

Greenland, Narwhal (Monodon Monoceros)

Unknown/not recorded

Is the species endemic HIDE

Population Status

Common and wildly distributed

Formal international protection in place

International Level

CITES listing

CMS listing

National Level

Formal national protection in place

Greenland Red List, “Critically endangered” in West Greenland and data deficient in East Greenland.

Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species

Residential and Commercial Development

Energy Production and Mining

Climate Change

Pollution

Transportation and Service Corridors

Invasive Species

Illegal/Unregulated Fishing

Population Trend

Unknown/not recorded

Sub-national Level

Unknown/not recorded

Name

Emma Hemmerlé

Scientific Name

Monodon monoceros

Common Name(s)

Narwhal

Type of Use

Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)

If extractive, for the target species, is this use

Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of

The whole entire organism

How is the primary use carried out?

Hunting and/or Trapping of live Terrestrial and Aerial Animals

Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?

Unknown/not recorded

Purpose of Use

Basic subsistence (meeting day to day essential needs)

Additional Details (if available)

Meat and skin are consumed locally or distributed within Greenland. Tusks are generally sold and resold by a number of intermediaries. Tusks reach the final consumer both as whole tusks and pieces used for artwork.

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?

Food for People

Ornamentation, decoration and apparel

What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?

Unknown/Not Recorded

Is there a regulatory or customary regime in place to govern this use?

Yes, formal (e.g., quotas, viewing or catch-size limits) and complied with

Additional Details (if available)

The meat, skin and tusks are sold legally within Greenland. The skin is considered a delicacy with high cultural value and high demand within Greenland. Prior to the export ban in 2006, tusks, and artwork from tusks, where exported legally, mainly as personal items bought in Greenland. Export is now prohibited

Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant

To our knowledge, there are no statistics about narwhal products smuggled out of Greenland. But given the lack of systematic control in harbours and airports, it is not impossible that a number of narwhal items leave the island unnoticed.

Geographic Location

Arctic Sea

Country

Greenland

Is the site legally/formally protected?

Unknown/not recorded

Ownership

Unknown/Not Recorded

Management

Unknown/Not Recorded

Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)

Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?

Unknown/not recorded

Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE

Unknown/not recorded

Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?

Unknown/not recorded

Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?

Unknown/not reported

Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species

Unknown/not recorded

Details of assessment carried out

We have been unable to provide a positive NDF for narwhals in Greenland because the catches in the west are larger than what was recommended by the Scientific Working Group of the JCNB. The current recommended takes are much lower than the catches before the introduction of quotas, and hunters are very reluctant to accept such a large reduction; they encounter narwhals often and consider them abundant. In the end, the government sets quotas that are a compromise between the scientific advice and the hunter’s knowledge. in accordance with the precautionary principle, the current biological advice is conservative.

Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded

Contribution to GDP

Unknown/not recorded

Food

Energy

Medicine/healthcare

Education

Training/Skills