Inuit Hunting Techniques Helping Scientists
28.08.2009 - Water & Oceans, Flora & Fauna, Human Dimension, Arctic
In Qaanaaq, Greenland, about 850 miles away from the North Pole, an effort to tag narwhals for scientific research is currently underway. The project, which is supported by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and lead by Kristin Laidre, an oceanographer at the University of Washington, will use satellite tags to see where narwhals travel during the cold, dark months of winter
Nets previously used in Canada and Greenland to tag the narwhals proved inefficient, so researchers turned to Inuit to help them harpoon small satellite transmitters onto narwhals. Five local Inuit hunters on a remote fjord in northwest Greenland are employing traditional hunting techniques to tag the narwhals. The trick, however, is to hit a very specific spot on the animal's back, which will emerge from the water when it comes up to breathe, thus enabling the transmitter to communicate with satellites.
"This project wouldn't exist without the hunters," said a grateful Dr. Laidre. "We wouldn't have had any success until this point, and we won't have any success if they're not part of it."
