Knowledge holder experiences and perceptions of aquatic change in Igloolik, Nunavut

As the impacts of climate change and development intensify across the Canadian Arctic, Inuit communities and researchers are working together to document local knowledge of aquatic environmental change. This report presents findings from a collaboration between the Igloolik Hunters and Trappers Association, Carleton University, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, recording experiences and perceptions of shifts in coastal, marine, and lacustrine habitats and species. Questionnaires completed with 26 knowledge holders revealed varied perspectives by ecological parameter. Views on changes in water temperature, salinity, and swells were mixed; however, knowledge holders consistently observed reductions in ice extent, thickness, quality, earlier break-up, and later formation. Accounts differed by years of experience on the land, with non-Elders more readily noticing diminished water clarity, and Elders emphasizing changes in coastal erosion, wind intensity, and wind direction. Elders also described declines in marine mammal abundance (seals, walrus), while both groups noted increasing polar bear presence. At the same time, fish populations may be decreasing, with changes in size, texture, and taste, and the appearance of new species. Trends for invertebrates were less clear, with additional insights needed to support reports of changing size and movements. These shifts are influencing harvest timing, prompting earlier spring harvests and later fall and winter efforts. Questionnaire findings offer grounded insights to inform decision-making by Iglulingmiut.