QIA holds seismic testing workshop in Clyde River

As the Hamlet of Clyde River, Nunavut, its mayor and the local hunters and trappers organization prepare to challenge a decision to allow seismic testing in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait, a small group of locals turned out for a workshop on seismic testing in the community last night. 

PJ Akeeagok, the president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, has been noticeably quiet on the topic of seismic testing, neither supporting nor denouncing the controversial practice. 

Now the organization is visiting seven Baffin communities to discuss how seismic testing could affect Inuit and the environment.

The fourteen residents who took part in yesterday's meeting in Clyde River, say they, like David Iqaqrialu, are concerned about how the practice could affect their wildlife and lifestyle. 

"There's a lot of work to be done," says Iqaqrialu who represented hunters. "When you really understand Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit ['Inuit traditional knowledge'], there is so much out there. There is a big difference in our lifestyle today when handling wildlife on water and the land."

Seismic testing allows companies to detect oil and gas deposits beneath the ocean by sending loud sound waves into the water. Representatives of the Hamlet are concerned the testing will disrupt animal migration patterns. 

QIA representatives say they want to use these meetings to gather Inuit knowledge about hunting grounds and use maps to highlight sensitive areas identified by hunters.

​

"We're here to get information on what animal migrations are," says Olayuk Akesuk, one of the QIA representatives, "during what time and when they are migrating through Baffin Bay and Davis Strait."

QIA will head to Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay later this week, with meetings also planned for Qikiqtarjuaq, Pangnirtung and Iqaluit. The Inuit organization was in Kimmirut last month.  A workshop scheduled for last week in Iqaluit was rescheduled for April.

Once the workshops are over, Akesuk says a larger gathering will be held with members from each community and scientists to ensure fragile areas and wildlife are not disturbed. A date for that larger meeting has not yet been set, but it's expected to take place at the end of April.

Meanwhile, the Hamlet of Clyde River's appeal to overturn the seismic testing decision will be heard in Toronto on April 20.