IQALUIT, Nunavut - An Inuit land-claim group is taking Ottawa to court over its decision to ban the export of narwhal tusks from most Nunavut communities.
"The Department of Fisheries and Oceans does not have the right to make this decision without consulting us," said Cathy Towtongie, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
In mid-December, the federal government informed the group by letter that international export permits for narwhal tusks would no longer be issued for 17 communities in Nunavut. Export permits will still be issued for five communities not on the list.
The tusks are valued in their own right and as raw material for Inuit carvers. The ban affects both carvings and raw tusks.
A tusk in good condition can fetch a lucky hunter as much as $450 a metre -- and tusks can grow to a little over two metres long.
"A lot of Inuit are affected by this, including carvers," said Towtongie. "For some communities, it is significant. For the cost of living in Nunavut, some families do survive on exporting carvings and exporting the tusks."
The federal government has said narwhal are over-hunted in some areas, and international treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species force Canada to ban the export of products of such animals.
Fisheries officials weren't available for comment Thursday.
Narwhal are considered a species of special concern under Canadian regulations, even though Environment Canada estimates there are about 45,000 of the sea-going mammals in the Baffin Bay population alone.
It's estimated that Inuit kill about 500 of the animals a year. Officials say roughly 120 tusks are exported.
Little is known about the habits and life of the narwhal, a medium-sized whale that can grow to more than five metres in length. It is sometimes called the "unicorn of the sea" because of its tusk.
Towtongie said the ruling isn't likely to save any narwhals. The animals are hunted primarily for food. The skin, or maqtaq, is considered a delicacy and combines a chewy consistency with a delicate flavour.
"It's part of our nutrition."
Towtongie said the narwhal ruling is the latest in a growing list of federal interventions in Nunavut wildlife management.
Iqaluit and Ottawa have long sparred over polar bear quotas and the share of turbot in Arctic seas allotted to Inuit fishers.
"Pretty soon we won't have anything to eat."
Towtongie's group also has a related lawsuit against the federal government over firearms registration legislation.
And another billion-dollar lawsuit is ongoing over what is seen as Ottawa's failure to fully implement the Nunavut land claims agreement.
