Arctic sealing: threat or blue prospect?

NAMMCO organises together with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) and WWF Arctic Programme  a breakout session intitled “Arctic sealing: threat or blue prospect? on Saturday 14 October, 17.30 – 19.00 at the Culture House / Safnahúsið, Hverfisgata 15, 101 Reykjavík, 400 m walk from Harpa.

Can (some) populations of Arctic seals qualify as blue resources contributing to food security? Do they represent a sustainable resource with a low ecological cost that meets the dietary needs and food preferences of Arctic communities? Is sealing responsibly managed? Do bans on seal products protect Arctic seals?

NAMMCO, NTI and WWF will explore these issues with the public. As an introduction to the discussion, four short presentations will attempt to answer the following questions:

• What do seals and sealing represent for Arctic communities?
• Is the sustainable management of Arctic seals possible, and what is the ecological footprint of sealing? Can traditional knowledge work with science-based management to ensure the sustainability of stocks?
• What are presently the major threats to the sustainability of Arctic seal stocks?

Speakers

Gabriel Nirlungayuk, Director of Inuit Programs and Services Division, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Title: Importance of sealing for Arctic communities

Genevieve Desportes, General Secretary, North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission

Title: Is Arctic sealing responsible in an ecosystem perspective?

David Lee, Wildlife Biologist, Department of Wildlife and Environment, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Title: Expectations of the Nunavut Agreement in Sustaining Wildlife Populations.

Gert Polet, Head of Forests & Wildlife Unit, WWF

Title: Perception and reality: threats to ice seals in a changing Arctic.

Panelists

Adamie Alaku, Vice President-Resource Development, Makivik Corporation, Quebec, Canada

Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Member of the Danish Parliament, Greenland

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Producer of Angry Inuk, Canada

Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Director, Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI), UK

Eggert Jóhannsson, Furrier, Iceland

Geir Oddsson, Senior adviser, Nordic Council of Ministers

Moderator:

Martin Breum, Danish Journalist and author