Nunavut to lobby against polar bear trade ban

Nunavut will lobby against a U.S. proposal to ban the commercial trade of polar bears in many countries, a move that would affect Inuit sport hunting guides across the North.

Earlier this month, the United States proposed reclassifiying the polar bear under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to effectively outlaw all commercial trade in the animals.

The 175 countries that have signed the international treaty will vote on the proposal in March.

Reclassifying the polar bear under CITES would ban sport hunters who go polar bear hunting in Nunavut from taking home their polar bear hides and trophies, which in turn would severely impact business for Inuit who make a living as hunting guides.

The proposal follows the U.S. government's decision in 2008 to list the polar bear as a threatened species within that country, citing threats to the species by shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by climate change.

But Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk said the U.S. does not understand that Canada has a good polar bear management system, and that the species is neither threatened nor endangered.

"The message here that we have to send is that polar bears are strong and healthy in Canada, and our position on this is going to be to support and lobby Canada to present our position to the countries that belong to CITES," Shewchuk said Friday.

Shewchuk said Nunavut will work with federal government counterparts to lobby other member countries in advance of the March vote.

"It's a matter of educating these other countries and the U.S. on our management system on what we have done for polar bears and what we continue to do, and that we are very interested in conserving polar bear for the future generations," he said.

The polar bear's threatened listing in the U.S. already killed most of the market for U.S. sport hunters who want to hunt polar bears in Nunavut, as it prevents them from bringing polar bear trophies home with them.

Shewchuk said there is no compensation plan in place for Inuit sport hunt guides who would be affected if the polar bear is reclassified under CITES, as that is not his department's responsibility.

Arctic Bay elder Kunuk Uyukuluk, a former sport hunting guide, said at least 10 guides would be affected in his community alone if the CITES listing goes ahead.

The hunters and trappers organization in Arctic Bay currently sets aside part of the community's polar bear hunting quota 10 out of 25 allottedhunting tags for sport hunts.

Speaking in Inuktitut, Uyukuluk told CBC News that officials who will vote on the CITES proposal should come north and see polar bears for themselves.

The polar bear population is actually on the rise, not decreasing, he said, adding that polar bears are becoming less afraid of human contact and even competing for people for food.