The associations of farmers and hunters have both criticised the working group’s conclusion; saying that hunting and other exploitation (such as egg collecting) have little effect on the bird stocks and their continued downward spiral is first and foremost down to food shortages.

“It was the opinion of the majority that a hunting ban could speed up the recovery of these stocks,” biologist and work group chairman Sigurður Þráinsson told RÚV. “There hasn’t been a decent rise in the puffin population at all in recent years. Many years’ chicks are missing from the stock almost entirely. All extra individuals will help to regenerate the stock. We don’t know what happened; but of course they need food.”

Whether or not the stock is heading for an outright collapse if the working group’s recommendation is not followed, Sigurður believes not.

“Maybe not a complete collapse, but the stocks will remain on the downward slope, and a faster downward slope than food shortages alone would cause.”

The puffin nesting season was a disaster this summer, like all recent summers. Only a quarter of breeding pairs managed to bring up young and now a leading biologist has called for a complete hunting ban.

The Icelandic puffin breeding stock is estimated at 2.5 million pairs, RUV reports.

It has long been known that puffins are going through a difficult time because of a shortage of food for their young; but a complete picture of the whole Icelandic puffin stock has not been available before now.

Erpur Snaer Hansen, a doctor of biology and sea bird specialist, this week made a presentation to a natural history institute seminar in Neskaupstadur in which he discussed the results of his puffin nesting research all around Iceland. He told delegates the puffin stock is in seriously bad shape overall; but that it differs by region.

“It is in a good way to the north and in Isafjardardjup (Westfjords) while elsewhere in the country the situation is just lousy. There were no chicks which made it to adulthood there this summer and it can only go one way,” Hansen said. His recommendation is that all puffin hunting be banned in Iceland, as it already has been in the Icelandic Westman Islands — the heart of the world puffin stock. Hansen says that there has been a breeding crisis in the Westman Islands for the last seven summers in a row, and similarly long on Papey island as well. He estimates that three quarters of puffin nesting failed this summer; including all nesting in south Iceland where the birds feed on sand eels. He also believes the birds are under more human pressure than previously thought.

“People thought a few decades ago that around 8.4 percent of the birds were nesting birds. That seemed a little lower than expected. But when this proportion is looked at closer it becomes clear that the proportion is more like 30 percent. In other words this means that hunting has a greater impact than people thought,” He says.

Puffin is considered a delicacy in Iceland and it has been a part of the diet for centuries, during which it seemed almost impossible to damage the millions-strong bird population. Hunting of puffins is still not the cause of the bird’s decline; but, Hansen believes, after seven failed breeding seasons the stock is under too much strain already and hunting only adds to the pressure. The puffin is not Iceland’s national bird; but it is the country’s most iconic bird and one which tourists and locals alike love to see in the wild. They spend their winters at sea and the only time to hunt them with nets is during the summer nesting season in coastal cliff areas.

The ptarmigan (rjúpa in Icelandic) is a favourite traditional Christmas food and is highly sought after; but because of pressure on the bird stock, hunting is heavily regulated and ptarmigan can only be shot for personal use and may not be sold.

Ptarmigan hunting is allowed on just half as many days this year as it was in 2010 because the number of birds has gone down still further between years.

Hunting is permitted for nine days this year: today, tomorrow and Sunday; as well as the next three Saturdays and Sundays, RUV reports. The final hunting day is therefore the 27th November. The sale of ptarmigan is still prohibited and hunting is completely banned in a large area of southwest Iceland.

Hunters will be actively monitored by the authorities on land and in the air and the Environment Agency is calling on hunters to be considerate and take as few birds as possible.

Last year around 71,000 ptarmigan were killed — which was 20,000 fewer than the year before and still many more than scientists and conservationists recommended the government to permit. This year, however, it is predicted that just 31,000 birds will be shot. If true, that would be the smallest number since hunting was allowed again in 2005 following a two-year total ban.

(Large photo on homepage: Jafro // Wikimedia)

As autumn continues, many Swedes are polishing their guns and heading for the woods in the hope of bagging and elk or a deer. This year has seen a 10 percent increase in those taking their hunting certificate tests compared to 2010.

The hunting dates for various animals differ across the country, but in the south the first day of the elk stalking season is commonly the second Monday of October. Chasing deer usually happens between 1st October and 31st January, while those wanting a grouse for the pot can hunt the birds for three months following 25th August.

Regulations on who can hunt in Sweden remain relatively tight. Hunters have to be over the age of 18, have a licence for their weapon and own a certificate which proves that they have passed their hunting exam. There are numerous courses across the country and this year could see as many as 10,000 new aficionados of the sport venturing out into the wilderness.

The hunting test involves proving oneself on an actual hunt and showing a good knowledge of the regulations as well as how to handle a gun properly. There are courses which teach newcomers how to track different animals and the laws governing the killings.

RUV reports that there are various signs the hunting of the grouse-like bird is no longer sustainable. One option the The Icelandic Institute of Natural History recommends is stopping all ptarmigan hunting.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History can only make recommendations to the Minister for the Environment to decide on. This time the Institute has provided three options:

One option is to stop all hunting, because research suggests hunting is unsustainable and hunting practices are causing ptarmigan deaths outside of the actual individuals which are shot. Environment minister Svandis Svavarsdottir is exploring her options.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History’s second possible option is to regulate hunting the same as last year; when it was only allowed for 18 days. The Institute would also wish to impose a six-bird maximum on each hunter. The problem with that option is that the very limited monitoring and enforcement on ptarmigan hunting would make the six bird rule very hard to police.

The third option is a severe curtailing of hunting which stops short of a total ban. That option is not explained in great detail in the media.

The number of ptarmigan in Iceland has been on the decline for several years and this year’s severe cold snap in springtime had a serious impact on the birds in northeast Iceland, where a third of female ptarmigans failed to raise any chicks this summer.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History report also claims that there is evidence to suggest hunters’ activities cause more ptarmigan deaths than the ones actually shot. The birds are particularly sensitive to the disturbance hunters cause.

The Institute report states, however, that the management of ptarmigan hunting has been generally good in recent years and the total number of birds shot has gone down; although more birds have been taken than recommended in some years.

The hunting of ptarmigan was previously outlawed between autumn 2003 and autumn 2005.

(Large main page photo: Jafro // Wikimedia Commons)

According to NRK, it took Danes Per Jensen and Henrik Hansen 45 minutes to haul the monster out of the water in Rogaland Country, between Stavanger and Haugesund, after they lured it in with a potato sack packed with plaice. “It all went very well,” said Henrik Hansen.

The two men travelled to Bokna Fjord after receiving a tip-off about the particularly large fish residing in the area. Also known as sleeper, gurry, grey and ground shark, the Greenland shark can grow up to six metres long, according to Politiken.

As the shark’s flesh contains trimethylene oxide, which produces the same effect as severe drunkenness when digested, the pair will not be able to cook up their spoils just yet. The meat will have to go through a painstaking process of preparation before it can be eaten, but when finished it will be considered a delicacy in Iceland, and in Greenland, where the shark is closely linked to Inuit folklore.

The ptarmigan is the traditional Icelandic Christmas bird and its popularity as a food source led to it becoming endangered. To counter this, strict hunting controls have been in place for years, and more recently a total ban on the sale of ptarmigan was also introduced, apparently with good results.

Vilhjalmur Vernhardsson, a ptarmigan shooting trip tour guide, is publicly decrying the sale ban as outdated this year – pointing not only to the successful hunting season, but also to indications of an active black market trade in the popular Christmas food.

Official hunting figures are not yet available, but hunters are almost universally pleased. Furthermore, most are said to have been conservative with the number of birds they shot, with only a few becoming ‘gung ho’.

RUV reports that it is not possible to accurately say how much ptarmigans cost on the black market; but that it is probably between ISK 1,000 and 4,000 per bird – depending on personal connections. For comparison, a supermarket chicken costs between ISK 1,000 and 1,500, while a small turkey costs around ISK 5,000.

The arrangement involves both the Greenland and Canadian governments along with the territorial government of Nunavut in Canada.

Jim Prentice, Canada’s Federal Environment Minister travelled to Kangerlussuaq in Western Greenland on the 29th of October to meet with his counterparts as they reached a common agreement on polar bear management, according to Siku News.

The tripartite accord has been in the planning for several months and will encompass the Canadian Arctic along with hunting regions shared by Greenland and the Nunavut federal territory, notably Baffin Bay and the Kane basin.

The practice of hunting polar bears has been the cause of considerable international controversy for many years, with environmental experts claiming that the population is not sustainable under current levels. In recent years activists in the USA have been at the forefront of moves to classify the polar bear as an endangered species at risk due to climate change. It is currently classified as vulnerable.

Sixty eight bears are hunted under quota by Greenland in Baffin Bay each year and there is substantial pressure on Nunavut authorities to adopt similar limits. Presently the quota for Nunavut hunters in Baffin Bay is 108 polar bears although the territory has proposed reducing the number to 64 or the possible introduction of a complete moratorium in the area.

However, Inuit hunters have claimed the Baffin Bay polar bear population is in fact not going down but increasing. The Inuit say their information is more reliable than scientific studies given their close contact with the animals.

The total population is around 25,000 in global Polar Regions. Of the 13 polar bear subpopulations in Canada, those in the Kane Basin and Baffin Bay are shared between Nunavut and Greenland.

“All Inuit from Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland are standing in solidarity against the EU on this, as hunting sustainably and humanely is something we have done for thousands of years and continue to do so.” Vice President of International Affairs at Inuit Circumpolar Council in Canada says.

“The seal ban is an abomination because it directly attacks cultures, communities, and livelihoods that represent a basic means of living for many here in Canada.” President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and national leader of the Inuit in Canada, Mary Simon says.

However, not everyone is against the seal ban. The International Fund for Animal Welfare labels this ban as “a significant victory” in ending the commercial seal hunt in Canada.

Denmark and Canada have been leading the call against the ban on seal products, but the motion was easily passed by a large majority of the EU Parliament. This means the ban will be in effect by the end of the year. Canada and Denmark expected this result, and also knew there would be a special exception for the Inuit so that their traditional ways of life could continue in Greenland and Canada.

But even with the special clause, the Copenhagen Post reports many Danish MEPs are concerned the ban will hurt the economic livelihood of villages along Greenland’s coast. “There are some settlements that consist of between 10-20 people along the northern coast who depend on seal hunting,” said Christian Rovsing, MEP for the Danish Conservative party. “How can we expect them to survive economically if we rob them of their means to do so?”

Animal rights activists ran an effective, well-publicised campaign against culling seals for the market. Almost as much clamour has been made by people in Norway, Denmark, Canada and Greenland, who see the ban as an end to the seal product industries in their countries. Norway has suggested it will now take the case to the World Trade Organisation, and Canada is preparing to bring it up at a top-level meeting between its government and the EU in Prague.