With the latest survey indicating just 2,595 narwhal in Eclipse Sound, the Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization is insisting that Baffinland Iron Mines should reduce shipping traffic, slow the speed of the vessels and not resume icebreaking this year.
The mining company counters that the figures tell a different story when nearby Admiralty Sound narhwal stock is combined with Eclipse Sound, as a 2021 survey showed 75,177 narwhal compared to 36,044 in 2020.
The Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers OrganizationSA国际影视传媒檚 (MHTOSA国际影视传媒檚) demands are outlined in a letter sent to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) and circulated to media on May 6.
The tusked whales were as numerous as 20,000 in an aerial survey conducted in 2004. That number has been dropping steadily in counts since then. However, Baffinland noted that since 2019, updated methods and new technologies have led to greater statistical certainly.
The report makes clear BaffinlandSA国际影视传媒檚 intentions to resume icebreaking this year, a practice that the company discontinued last summer after high-profile criticism from hunters and trappers.
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David Qamaniq, chair of Pond InletSA国际影视传媒檚 hunters and trappers organization, asserts that restarting icebreaking SA国际影视传媒渋s not responsible resource development,SA国际影视传媒� particularly in light of harvesters SA国际影视传媒渞epeatedly indicating to the NIRB and BIM (Baffinland Iron Mines) that narwhal are being impacted by icebreaking and by shipping in general, and that hunters are having limited success in their attempts to harvest narwhal and feed their families and community.
SA国际影视传媒淣ow is the time to slow down and pause, to assess what is happening and make necessary adjustments to the course. The risks to Inuit harvesting rights are too great, and demand the exercise of extreme caution,SA国际影视传媒� Qamaniq writes, noting that BaffinlandSA国际影视传媒檚 existing commitment of a nine nautical miles per hour shipping speed limit should be reduced further.
The MHTO calls on NIRB to SA国际影视传媒渁ct immediately.SA国际影视传媒�
Baffinland stated that it worked with interested parties, including the MHTO, the Hamlet of Pond Inlet, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other members of the Marine Environment Working Group to develop a Narwhal Adaptive Management Response Plan prior to the 2021 shipping season and SA国际影视传媒渨e have committed to update that plan prior to the 2022 shipping season.SA国际影视传媒�
The mining company added that it has already held a meeting with the Marine Environment Working Group to discuss initial reviews of the companySA国际影视传媒檚 2021 annual report to the NIRB, as well as the draft 2021 Marine Mammal Aerial Survey Report.
SA国际影视传媒淏affinland will consider all proposed mitigations and monitoring measures proposed in the development of the 2022 Narwhal Adaptive Management Response Plan,SA国际影视传媒� the company stated after the MHTO made its complaints public on May 6.
Oceans North, an Ottawa-based conservation group, concurs with the MHTOSA国际影视传媒檚 demands, noting that underwater noise monitoring and multiple narwhal studies suggest that SA国际影视传媒渢here may be a correlation between narwhal decline and increased shipping.SA国际影视传媒�
Therefore, the precautionary principle should be applied, Oceans North argues, compelling the government to restrict or ban activities that SA国际影视传媒渕ay cause serious and/or irreversible harm to human health and the environment, even without fully established scientific evidence of a causal relationship.SA国际影视传媒�
BaffinlandSA国际影视传媒檚 annual report to the NIRB states that icebreaking noise couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 have caused any disruption to narwhal in 2021 since that activity did not occur. The report also suggests that there may be a naturally-occurring exchange between Admiralty and Eclipse narwhal populations. It also points to factors such as the availability of prey, ice conditions, climate change and pressure from predators for fluctuating numbers.
SA国际影视传媒淭o better understand what is occurring additional engagement and monitoring is needed, inclusive of regional scape monitoring that looks at the population dynamics of the Baffin Bay narwhal stock as a whole,SA国际影视传媒� reads a passage from BaffinlandSA国际影视传媒檚 report.
The NIRB is deliberating on a proposed iron ore production increase at the Mary River mine. The regulatory body is expected to make a recommendation to Northern Affairs Minister Daniel Vandell in the coming weeks regarding BaffinlandSA国际影视传媒檚 phase two mine expansion, which would double iron ore output to 12 million tonnes per year, involve the construction of a railway and increase shipping traffic.
