Jan. 6 – email from Jonathan Pameolik (Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut in Arviat and currently acting as Manager for the Kivalliq Region), to Ole Nielsen (and others).
There were reports from local hunters of Arviat that they observed a very few number of seals were shedding and that even a few number of them were sinking after being shot. The seal harvest in Arviat is usually done when the first ice forms in the salt water, usually late October to Late November. During that time, it is unheard of that seals would be shedding fur and that they would sink after being shot. Perhaps the sinking seals could have been bearded seals, which are known to sink at all times throughout the year after being shot. However, despite it being unheard of, the shedding and sinking of ringed seals is not alarming because it happened in so few of the overall number of seals taken by the community.
Jan. 9, 2011 – Tara Bortoluzzi receives an update.
The reporting communities include Churchill, Manitoba; and Chesterfield Inlet, Whale Cove, Coral Harbour, Sanikiluaq, Rankin Inlet, and Arviat, NU.
Basically they reported "very odd behaviour of the seals", with some reporting seals appearing sick. I didn't hear anything from the other communities, but that doesn't mean they necessarily wasn't any sick seals, they just never reported anything to me. Further... At the QWB (Baffin Bay) Wildlife research and management priorities workshop for NWMB in November, many of the community reps also expressed concerns with their local seals. They are seeing less seals in general, a lot less pups this year, and only catching larger older seals. There's also concerns with seals dying near Pond Inlet.
Observations From Members