Photo: Maktaaq season is here: Naujaat finally lands a bowhead

After weeks of perseverance in the midst of thick pack ice in the bay, hunters in Naujaat finally got their prize Sept. 17 — a bowhead whale. They might be the only community to get one this year. Of the five bowheads now allocated annually to Nunavut hunters — two in Baffin, two in Kivalliq and one in Kitikmeot — only four tags were claimed: Hall Beach, Pangnirtung, Gjoa Haven and Naujaat. Naujaat is the only successful community so far. Gjoa Haven, which was to harvest this year’s Kitikmeot quota, cancelled their hunt because of bad ice conditions. The 48-foot whale was first spotted on the evening of Sept. 16 and brought to shore the next morning. It was the hunters’ 10th trip out on the water. Stay tuned for more details soon on Nunatsiaqonline.ca. (PHOTO BY DOLLY MABLIK)