Polar bear quota ends sport hunt plans in Greenland

Greenland’s home rule government has introduced the island’s first quotas for polar bears.

The figure for 2006 was set at 150 animals, according to Greenland’s fishing and hunting department. Only Greenlanders with valid hunting permits can obtain permission to shoot a polar bear.

Previously, local hunters killed about 250 bears annually.

The quota was introduced on Feb. 22 to protect the species’ survival in Greenland. There are an estimated 7,500 polar bears in Greenland, mainly in the northern and eastern part.

The quota was divided mostly among hamlets in that region, including Upernavik, Qaanaaq and Ittoqqortoormiit.

Southern towns including Nanortalik, Qaqortoq and Narsaq were granted permission to kill up to two polar bears. In recent years, bears have showed up near those locations after being stranded on ice floes.

The quota will be revised annually, officials said. There were no immediate plans to grant permissions to foreign hunters, ending plans for a commercial sports hunt.

Last year, when Greenland announced it would establish quotas, the Government of Nunavut came out with a statement, which “endorsed” Greenland’s new management system for polar bears.