Protests Following Narwhale Quota Stop

Inhabitants of Qaanaaq, Greenland, a town located near Thule Air Base, Tuesday demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the end to this year’s narwhate hunt following a declaration from the Ministry of Fisheries, Trapping and Farming that this year’s entire narwhale quota has been caught, KNR reports.

The inhabitants largely depend on the narwhale hund for their sustenance lifestyle and for it to sustain both themselves and their dogs at this time of year. Local businesses also suffer under the halt in narwhale hunting.

The Ministry argues that the locals still can hunt halibut and Beluga whale, however, according to the local fishermen, halibuts disappear when the narwhales enter the area, and the Beluga whales only arrive later in the fall.

- We must have something to sustain us, says Mads Ole Kristiansen, chairman of Greenland’s fishers and trappers association (KNAPK).