SCIENCE
Community-based walrus research in Nunavut How bottom feeding species are exposed to plastic pollution By Jennifer Provencher and Cory Matthews Inuit have been hunting walruses for centuries, and walrus continue to be an important country food to northern communities, especially those in the Canadian Arctic. In communities across Nunavut, walrus meat is shared by community members and, as highlighted in the Government of Nunavut’s Nutrition Fact Sheet Series for Inuit Traditional Foods, is an excellent source of protein, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and selenium. In some communities, such as Igloolik and Sanirajak, walrus meat and blubber are carefully aged in walrus skins for months in gravel caches on the land. The fermented walrus meat (igunaq) is shared among communities and is considered a treat by many. Threats to walrus populations have recently been identified, including pollution and changing food webs. To understand how changes in the environment are affecting walrus populations, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)
has been working with communities to sample walrus by working collaboratively with hunters during the seasonal harvests in Nunavut. Cory Matthews and his team from DFO have been working with communities to sample walrus
meat, blubber, skin, organs, whiskers, and tusks. Each year sampling kits are shared with Hunters and Trappers Association and Organization (HTAs and HTOs) offices, and Inuit hunters collect the samples while processing the animals for
Atlantic walrus, Foxe Basin. © DFO
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