NUNAVUT COASTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ Department of Environment Avatiliqiyikkut Ministère de l’Environnement Kimmirut © Nunavut Tourism ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ Department of Environment Avatiliqiyikkut NUNAVUT COASTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY • Kimmirut INVENTORY RESOURCE COASTAL NUNAVUT Ministère de l’Environnement Nunavut Coastal Resource Inventory – Kimmirut September 2009 Department of Environment Fisheries and Sealing Division Box 1000 Station 1310 Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 0H0 ISBN: 978-1-55325-184-2 KIMMIRUT Inventory deliverables include the: An array of maps, aggregated into categories EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Archaeological Sites, Mammals, Fish, Birds, Invertebrates, This report is derived from the Hamlet of Kimmirut, and • provision of a final report that provides coastal Marine Plants, Areas of High Diversity, and Other), are represents one component of the second phase of the resource data in a GIS database; provided in this report. Additional maps illustrate Nunavut, Nunavut Coastal Resource Inventory (NCRI). The term • provision of resource inventory maps for each the extent of the interview area, a reproduction of the “coastal inventory”, as used here, refers to the collection community; study area extracted from the Nunavut Atlas, and the survey area with place names in Inuktitut (both syllabics of information on coastal resources and activities, gained • provision of all documents used and methodology and transliteration). The map format was chosen, from community interviews, research, reports, maps, and employed throughout the coastal inventory given the broad geographic reach of the interviewee’s any other available resources, presented in map format. process; and responses, to provide a synoptic view of the collected Coastal resource inventories have been conducted in • thorough evaluation of the methodology and data. Every effort was made to keep the scale of the many jurisdictions throughout Canada, notably along our supporting materials that were used to carry out the maps the same and with the same extent in order to Atlantic and Pacific coasts. These inventories have been entire inventory process. permit convenient comparisons from one map to another. used as a means of gathering reliable information on The interview team was made up of five individuals: the In addition, the maps are complemented by extensive coastal resources to permit their strategic assessment, interviewer, a translator, a recorder, an oceanographer, tabular information. leading to the promotion of economic development, and a student observer. The interviews lasted between coastal management, and conservation opportunities. In two to six hours, depending on the amount of detail Nunavut, the coastal resource inventory has two additional elicited in the responses and the amount of clarification applications: the preservation of traditional knowledge required during the interview. The entire interview followed (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or IQ), and the anticipation of a predefined survey, where the first round of questions forthcoming environmental changes, particularly those elicited information on the interviewee’s early life history. driven by climate change. These questions were followed by resource-based topics, in a specific order, that were directly tied to photographs The Fisheries and Sealing Division of the Department of of species. Responses were documented in real-time, with the Environment, initiated this inventory by conducting data amenable to mapping drawn on the charts provided a feasibility study, followed by a pilot project, in Iglulik, and all proceedings were recorded using audio and video Nunavut. Upon completion of the pilot (Phase I), four equipment. Upon completion of the interviews, data was additional communities (Kugluktuk, Chesterfield Inlet, compiled into spreadsheets and the map information was Arctic Bay, and Kimmirut) were approached to assess their scanned, digitized, and prepared for analysis. interest in participating in the inventory (Phase II). All four agreed, and interviews for Kimmirut were completed in February 2009. 1 NUNAVUT COASTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY 2 KIMMIRUT TABLE OF CONTENTS APPENDIX 1 INTERVIEWEE BIOGRAPHIES ........................................................77 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 1 APPENDIX 2 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..............................................78 TABLE OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... 5 APPENDIX 3 BIRD SIGHTINGS COMMENTARY .................................................79 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 6 APPENDIX 4 SPECIES PHOTOS METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 8 FISH ........................................................................................................ 83 INVERTEBRATES ........................................................................................ 85 MARINE RESOURCES IN AN OCEANOGRAPHIC CONTEXT ..............................................11 MARINE MAMMALS ................................................................................. 86 RESOURCE INVENTORY ................................................................................................ 14 SEAWEED AND MARINE PLANTS .............................................................. 86 BIRDS ...................................................................................................... 87 MAPS AND TABLES ....................................................................................................... 15 FINAL THOUGHTS .......................................................................................................... 71 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... 73 COLLECTED REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 74 3 NUNAVUT COASTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY 4 KIMMIRUT TABLE OF FIGURES CONTEXTUAL MAPS MARINE MAMMALS Figure 1. Map of Nunavut. ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 15. Areas of occupation for Bearded Seal, Harbour Seal, Harp Seal, Hooded Seal, and Spotted Seal. ............. 40 Figure 2. Extent of study area with selected place names. .................................................................................................9 Figure 16. Areas of occupation for Ringed Seal ....................................................................................................................42 Figure 3. Map of known polynas in the Canadian Arctic (Hannah et al 2009). ................................................................ 12 Figure 17. Areas of occupation for Polar Bear ......................................................................................................................44 Figure 4. Travel routes and areas of greatest familiarity. ................................................................................................... 16 Figure 18. Areas of occupation for Walrus ............................................................................................................................46 Figure 5. Archaeological sites and areas of cultural significance. .................................................................................... 18 Figure 19. Areas of occupation for Bowhead Whale, Humpback Whale, Killer Whale, and Sperm Whale ......................48 Figure 6. Areas with significant diversity and areas important for other easons.r .........................................................20 Figure 20. Areas of occupation for Beluga, Minke Whale, and Narwhal .............................................................................50 FISH PLANTS Figure 7. Areas of occupation for Arctic Char and Atlantic Salmon .................................................................................22 Figure 21. Areas of occupation for Bladder Wrack, Edible Kelp, Green Sea Fingers, Figure 8. Areas of occupation for Arctic Cod, Atlantic Cod, and Greenland Cod ............................................................26 Hollow Stemmed Kelp, and Sea Colander ...........................................................................................................52 Figure 9. Areas of occupation for Broad Whitefish and Lake Trout ..................................................................................28 Figure 10. Areas of occupation for Capelin, Greenland Shark, and Threespine Stickleback.. .........................................30 BIRDS Figure 22. Areas of occupation for Sandhill Crane, Tundra Swan, INVERTEBRATES Dovekie, and Northern Fulmar. .............................................................................................................................54 Figure 11. Areas of occupation for Clam and Mussel. ..........................................................................................................32 Figure 23. Areas of occupation for Common Eider, Harlequin Duck, Mallard, and Rock Ptarmigan ...............................56 Figure 12. Areas of occupation for Cockle, Oyster, Scallop, and Whelk .............................................................................34