The Davis Strait - DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi

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5.2.5 Toothed whales
Catches of narwhals and belugas are amongst the most important for the
communities of Northwest Greenland (Heide-Jørgensen 1994). Sisimiut and
Maniitsoq, in the northern part of the assessment area, are the southernmost
places where narwhals and belugas are regularly caught. Large catches over
several decades caused an apparent decline in the population sizes of the
two species. In 2004, quotas were introduced by the Government of Greenland.
The annual quotas are 310 belugas and 310 narwhals per year (Tab.
5.2.1). With these quotas there is a 70% chance that the population sizes of
both species will increase (NAMMCO 2010). For Sisimiut, the quotas for
2011-2012 include two narwhals and 26 belugas per year. For the same period,
quotas for Maniitsoq are two narwhals and ten belugas per year (APNN
2011a). Narwhal and beluga are the only toothed whales whose hunt is regulated
by quotas in Greenland (Anon 2011b). Figure 5.2.5 shows the positions
of beluga catches from 2006-2010.
Harbour porpoise, pilot whales and, to some extent, white beaked dolphins,
killer whales and perhaps bottlenose whales are also hunted. Catch of these
species is unregulated, but there is a voluntary reporting system that has included
harbour porpoises since 1993. Pilot whales and killer whales were included
in the reporting system in 1996, and white beaked dolphins and bottlenose
whales were added in 2003. The data is entered into a large database
administrated by the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture. The
data presented below comes from this database. A partial validation of killer
whale data showed that there are human mistakes in the reporting.
In the period from 1993-2008 an average of 2,271 harbour porpoises were
taken annually. Of the 34,064 catches reported from 1993-2008 in West
Greenland, 30,443 harbour porpoises (i.e. 89%) were taken within, or close to
the assessment area (i.e. between Pamiut and Sisimiut) (Fig. 5.2.6a).
Due to their unpredictable occurrence, pilot whales, white beaked dolphins
and killer whales are caught opportunistically. Annual catches of pilot
whales in West Greenland vary between 0 and 300 and from 1996-2008 a total
of 2,154 pilot whales have been caught in West Greenland. Most pilot
whales are caught south of Disko Bay and approximately half have been
caught within the assessment area (Fig. 5.2.6b).
White-beaked dolphins and white-sided dolphin are not separated in the reporting
system. In Greenlandic both species have the same name. However,
we can assume that the vast majority of dolphin catches are indeed whitebeaked
dolphins, as white-sided dolphins have a more southern distribution.
On average, 40 dolphins have been caught annually in the period from
2003-2008 (Fig. 5.2.6c). Out of 238 dolphins reported caught in West Greenland
from 2003-2008, 153 (i.e. 64%) were caught in the assessment area.
Killer whales are hunted partly for human subsistence and partly to feed
sledge dogs. As they are considered as competitors for seal and whale hunters,
this is an additional reason for the hunting of killer whales. From 1996-
2008 a total of 84 killer whales have been caught in West Greenland and the
annual average catch for the entire period was 13, ranging between 0 and 26
killer whales per year (Fig. 5.2.6d). The killer whales have been caught irregularly
along the entire West coast from Upernavik in the north to
Nanortalik in the south, with 27% of the catches (i.e. 23 animals) taken within
the assessment area.