On November 15th, when hunters from Pond Inlet first spotted a large group of narwhal whales trapped under the ice near Bylot Island, north of Baffin Island, they estimated the number to be around 200. Now it seems like the number is closer to 400, with the whales unable to get free of the ice that shifted and caught them under water. In an effort to help the tusked whales breathe, hunters have punch several desk sized holes in the water. But with the nearest opening some 50 kilometers away, there is little hope for the whales’ survival.The Canadian department of Fisheries and Oceans normally allows local hunters 130 harvested whales each year, but, according to spokesman Keith Pelley: “It’s unlikely the animals are going to survive the winter, so the hunters have been given authorization to cull them…..The community has started a humane harvest to take these animals before they perish.”

The hunt was supposed to be over by this past week end, but the whales kept surfacing, which lead experts to believe that the number of whales trapped was closer to 400. Whales have become trapped in the arctic ice in past year, but never this many at one time. The president of the community’s Hunters and Trappers Association, Jayko Allooloo, says that the people of Pond Inlet have never seen anything like it before. “It happens occasionally at Eclipse Sound east of here. But no one in Pond Inlet remembers anything like this happening around here in at least 75 years. This is very new to us.”

While some people may think it is cruel and opportunistic to harvest the trapped animals, it is really the best thing to do, since there is no chance of the whales getting to open water. With no ice breaker in the area, the narwhals would die a slow death.

The culling of the trapped whales is supposed to be finished by Wednesday or Thursday of this week.