Arctic char, once plentiful in Bernard Harbour in Nunavut, will thrive again due to a novel long-term partnership between the Kugluktuk hunters and trappers organization and B2Gold.

In early 2023, B2Gold, a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, acquired Sabina Gold & Silver, and its interests in the Back River gold district, located in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. One of the nearest neighbouring communities, Kugluktuk, comprises approximately 1,600 residents, the majority of whom are Inuit. Each Nunavut community has a hunters and trappers organization (HTO), which oversees and manages wildlife harvesting among Inuit.

Arctic char, an important food source for Inuit, once thrived in the nearby Bernard Harbour, and lake trout, caribou, seals and birds were plentiful. Historic Inuit fish harvesting activities at Bernard Harbour occurred primarily at a fish weir at the mouth of Nulahugyuk Creek, where the fish migrated to spawn in Hingittok Lake. The fish weir was constructed of stones and functioned by allowing migrating fish to pass through an opening into an enclosed pool of water. After a sufficient number of fish had entered the pool, the opening would be closed and fish would be harvested using kakivaks, traditional Inuit fish spears. Hundreds of fish would be caught at the fish weir each summer, with many being dried for later consumption. In more recent times, community members observed declines in Arctic char due to low water, blockages and obstructions (rocks) in Nulahugyuk Creek, often resulting in stranded or dead fish.

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In Canada, fish and fish habitat are protected by law under the Fisheries Act. Unavoidable harm or impacts to fish and fish habitat from a new project or development must be offset. The objective of offsetting is to create or enhance habitat at a location to counterbalance unavoidable impacts incurred by a project. Amendments to the Fisheries Act in 2012 provided opportunities for proponents to build offsets near communities rather than near the project location, focusing on fisheries that are important to, and accessible by, Indigenous communities. This change in approach allowed for innovative projects through the integration of Indigenous knowledge to help local fisheries while fulfilling companies’ requirements to offset harm.

As habitat restoration at Bernard Harbour was previously identified as a priority for the Kugluktuk HTO, Sabina Gold & Silver (now B2Gold) initiated a partnership with the Kugluktuk HTO in 2014 to study and complete stream restoration work in Nulahugyuk Creek as an offset for the Back River gold district operations that would ultimately boost the productivity of the Arctic char fishery. This unique community-industry partnership was the first of its kind in the Canadian Arctic. The Kugluktuk HTO has been instrumental in providing historical information through a traditional knowledge study involving residents from Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay, and many more. The offsetting project has benefited from Inuit support and direction in project planning, field data collection and stream restoration. With restoration activities completed in 2016, the Kugluktuk HTO will continue to provide support and direction until offsetting objectives have been met to the satisfaction of both the HTO and regulatory agencies.

Through this novel initiative, a long-term partnership between the Kugluktuk HTO and B2Gold has been established, focused on creating a shared, mutual benefit for Inuit and the company. Key activities going forward will include ongoing community engagement and maintenance of restoration work annually, as needed, by the Kugluktuk HTO; scientific monitoring programs to be conducted by B2Gold with the HTO; and full ongoing funding for programs provided by B2Gold. The outcome will be a restored and maintained Bernard Harbour, helping Inuit regain an important and healthy Aboriginal fishery and sustainable food source for their community.

Read more: Rio Tinto | Hecla | MineSense Technologies | Teck