Economic Use of Birds in Greenland: Encyclopedia Arctica 4: Zoology (Birds)

Birds are of considerable economic importance to the Greenlanders, although not to the same degree as seals, certain whales, and the arctic fox. In recent years the marine mammals have decreased in number, at least along the West Greenland coasts, and seal hunting has been given up in many places. Under these circumstances birds have become an important supplement to the food supply. Particular methods have not developed, as far as bird hunting is concerned; the shooting or capture sometimes resembles slaughter more than actual hunting. Owing to the rapidly growing human population and the increase– ing use of guns, the eider duck was near extinction some time ago. Protective measures promulgated by the Greenland Administration have contributed to some improvement.

A number of birds, mainly marine species, play a part in the economy of the Greenlanders. The most important of these species are here treated in systematic order.

Red-throated Loon ( Gavia stellata ) is not particularly persecuted by the Greenlanders. The flesh is eaten only occasionally, but the plumage of the head and neck (in the nuptial dress), like that of the eider duck, is sometimes used for decorative purposes in the wall hangings made in southwest Greenland. Loons are usually shot with rifles.

Common Loon ( Gavia immer ) is hunted to some extent by the Greenlanders of the southern west coast, who use the plumage for making their beautiful orna– mental wall hangings. Only the head and neck (in nuptial plumage) are used. For a good-sized wall hanging about 50 heads are needed. Although this industry has been abandoned in many places, it still flourishes in some of the northern parts of Julianehaab District. The common loon is very numerous there and 200 to 300 specimens are shot annually in order to furnish material for blankets and hangings.

Fulm e ^ a ^ r ( Fulmarus glacialis ) breeds on the west coast from Disko Bay north to Thule District. It is to some extent hunted by the Greenlanders in Umanak and Upernivik Districts, but not in Disko Bay. This is explained by the fact that the flesh and eggs are fairly palatable in the northern regions, where the birds feed on planktonic organisms, but ^ ^ not in Disko Bay, probably because there they feed mainly on offal from whalers and fisheries. Egg collecting takes place only in Umanak District, where about 3,000 eggs are taken annually. According to the banding records, 4% of the fulmars are shot.

White-fronted Goose ( Anser albifrons ) is shot only in small numbers. Banding records show that only 2% are shot in Greenland compared with 9% in their winter quarters in the British Isles. The small figure in Greenland is due to the fact that the majority of this species breed in the uninhabited interior, where also the fall migration takes place. Only during spring migration is there a chance to shoot them. While hunting reindeer in the interior in August the Greenlanders catch a good number of goslings at the breeding places and sell them in the settlements to the Danish households where they are fattened for Martinmas or Christmas. (Goose is the national Danish dish on these occasions.)

Brant ( Branta bernicla ) is extensively hunted by the Greenlanders during its passage along the coast of northwest Greenland and in Angmagasalik District, i.e., from mid-May [: ] to mid-June and in September and early October.

Other species of geese than those mentioned above are of no economic importance to the Greenlanders.

Mallard ( Anas platyrhyncha ) is hunted only to a limited extent; according to banding records about 5% are shot. This is probably due to the fact that the greater part breed in the desolate interior. In winter the flesh is not nearly so palatable as that of the ordinary mallard, no doubt owing to the bird’s diet of marine animals.

Old Squaw ( Clangula hyemalis ) is not hunted to any marked extent. A number are shot during eider duck hunts and some egg collecting takes place.

Eider ( Somateris mollissima ) is the most important bird in the economy of the Greenlanders. In former times it was violently and ruthlessly pursued. Until the protective laws came into force it was killed during the twelve months of the year, and was even shot when incubating; the eggs were collected several times every year. This wholesale slaughter could not fail to leave its mark, and the eider was almost exterminated in southwest Greenland. In 1924 and 1929 motions were passed by the Greenland Administration prohibiting egg collecting, except in early spring (until May 15), the capture of mated and brooding birds, and the chasing of flightless birds.

The flesh of the eider is a most important source of food, especially in winter. The feathers are used for pillows and down coverlets. The skins with their down are used for the birdskin coat, the so-called tingmiaq , which is worn under the a ^ á ^ nor a ^ â ^ q . In order to make a tingmiaq 15 to 25 skins are necessary,

EA-Zoo. Salomonsen: Economic Use of Birds in Greenland

and it is generally renewed every year. (Most Greenlanders, it is true, now use European clothes.)

The skins are further used for the preparation of the beautiful blankets made for sale on the Danish market, where they are used as bed covers, wall hangings, covers for perambulators, etc. They are made of skins from which the feathers have been plucked, leaving the down on the skin, and are edged with a border of the head plumage of the males of both eider and king eider (in nuptial dress). Sometimes heads of loons or cormorants are used instead. More than 100 eider duck skins are necessary for a good-sized blanket.

The official trade started in 1903, but statistics are available only from [: ] 1915. In the beginning of the twentieth century more than 400 blankets were bought annually by the trading company; twenty years later this number had risen to over 1,300 every year, reaching a peak of 2,064 in 1921, and from 1939 the Greenland Administration wisely stopped the official trade. A small number are still sold privately. The blankets are produced only in southwest Greenland north to Hosteinsborg District, the greatest number in Sukkertoppen District. They are manufactured especially by women, primarily widows, who in this way obtain a fairly good extra income.

The down collected from the nests is not used by the Greenlanders but is sold to the trading company. This down was one of the first articles bought by the trading company, and in former times it played a considerable role in the economy of the Greenlanders. Owing to the decrease in the number of eider ducks, the amount of down sold is now inconsiderable. The trade statistics from about 1820 show the following deplorable development.

The lowest figures were reached in 1929-31, with 65, 20, and 71 kilograms, respectively. The protective laws, in force since about 1925, have resulted in a slight increase, viz. , to 464 kilograms in 1937 and 405 kilograms in 1938. It is generally true that 1 kilogram comprises the content of an average of 24 nests. This means that the nests raided have decreased from more than 100,000 to about 5,000 in the course of a century. In recent years (since World War II) the Greenland Administration has endeavored to erect artificial nesting places ( varp ) after the well-known Iceland mode, but as yet this idea has been adopted by the Greenlanders only on a modest scale.

The eggs are especially important in the northern districts (Thule– Upernivik), where they are cached for the winter. As many as 20,000 to 30,000 eggs were formerly collected in Upernivik District annually. An even larger number is still taken in Thule District where egg collecting has always been strictly controlled and limited to one annual visit to the breeding places. In Thule District all shooting of eider and king eider is prohibited until September 1. In Scoresby Sound District shooting is prohibited between July 1 and August 15, and egg and down collecting from June 25 to the period when the ducklings have left the nest.

The number of eiders captured annually in West Greenland is about 150,000. Banding has shown that 30 to 40% of the eider population of Thule are shot in southwest Greenland in winter, most of them while on the spring and fall migrations and during the daily movements in and out of the fjords. Formerly the largest numbers were flightless birds chased in the fall, when they collect in large flocks, and driven on land and killed by thousands; this is now prohibited.

King Eider ( Somateria spectabilis ) is left alone by the Greenlanders on the breeding places, but elsewhere it is hunted to the same extent as the eider and is used in the same way as this species. When shooting a darke the Greenlanders invariably bite off the frontal knob and eat it raw, for it is considered a great delicacy. According to banding records of grown-up, flightless birds, about 10% are shot.

Common Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo ) is extensively hunted by the Greenlanders. The flesh is eaten and the neck plumage (in nuptial dress only) to some extent used for ornamental purposes in the blanket industry. Hunting is done at the breeding places, where the young also are taken. In winter the cormorant is hunted especially at its sleeping places. According to banding record, no less than 34% are shot.

Rock Ptarmigan ( Lagopus mutus ) is only occasionally shot. The Greenlanders are not particularly fond of the flesh and do not want to waste a cartridge on this minor game. Many ptarmigan are stoned, however, a sport in which especially the half-grown boys delight and which they pursue with astonishing skill. Only in peak years is a large number shot, as the ptarmigan is then an easy prey and several may be obtained with one shot. Many are then also snared. The Greenlanders invariably tear out the intestines of the freshly

EA-Zoo. Salomonsen: Economic Use of Birds in Greenland

killed bird, while still warm, and eat them raw together with their content of half-digested green stuff. This is regarded as a delicacy, and was, at least in earlier [: ] days, a necessary source of vitamins. The Greenlanders usually sell the ptarmigan to the Danish inhabitants, so find the flesh very palatable. The Danes themselves are very keen on shooting ptarmigan. A good number of ptarmigan are canned and some are sold to purchasers in Denmark, but on a modest scale and under private conditions only. The ptarmigan has been protected and egg collecting prohibited in southwest Greenland, north to Holsteinsborg District, from May 1 to July 31, particularly on account of shooting by the Danes. The annual number shot probably does not exceed 10,000, only in peak years amounting to about 50,000. According to banding records (in the peak year 1948-49), 12% of the ptarmigan are shot, but this figure does not hold good for the whole Greenland population.

Purple Sandpiper ( Erolia maritima ) is the only wader wintering in Greenland and the only one of any economic importance to the Greenlanders. Banding shows that 21% are shot, mainly in winter.

Parasitic Jaeger or Arctic Skua ( Stercorarius parasiticus ) is to some extent hunted by the Greenlanders, who eat its flesh. Since it leaves the Greenland waters as early as August or September, it does not actually play any part in their economy. A dd ^ cc ^ ording to banding records, 7% are shot.

Gulls. Great black-backed gull ( Larus marinus ), glaucous gull ( L. hyper - boreus ), and Iceland gull ( L. glaucoides ) are all hunted to a considerable degree. By far the greatest number shot are juveniles captured as fledglings near the breeding places or in the fall until November. According to banding records, 20 to 22% are shot. The flesh is eaten, the feathers plucked and, together with other sea-birds’ feathers (mainly Brunnich’s Murre), sold for

EA-Zoo. Salomonsen: Economic Use of Birds in Greenland

the trading company. Only a minor part is used in local households for pillows and down coverlets. The production of feathers has steadily increased and is now an important economic factor, which shows the significance of bird hunting in our time. In 1850-60 the production was less than 2,000 kilograms, reaching a peak in 1938 with 17,934 kilograms.

Although the largest bird colonies are situated in northwest Greenland (Jakobshavn, Unmark and Upernivik Districts) the production of feathers is much lower there than in southwest Greenland, amounting to only about 25% of the production. The reason for this is that the birds stay in northwest Greenland only in summer when the inhabitants are busily engaged with other hunting and have no time for plucking. The skins with the feathers are therefore given to the sledge dogs for food. In southwest Greenland the majority of gulls and murres are shot in the fall and winter. The greatest production of feathers takes place in Julianehaab and Godthaab Districts. Egg collecting in also done to some extent.

Kittiwake ( Rissa tridactyla ) is shot like other gulls mentioned. The flesh is eaten and the feathers sold to the trading company. According to banding records, only 5% are shot, but since the kittiwake is much more

EA-Zoo. Salomonsen: Economic Use of Birds in Greenland

numerous than the other gull species its economic importance is just as great.

Arctic Tarn ( Sterna paradisaea ) is hunted only occasionally, but egg collecting is important. The eggs collect ion ^ ed ^ in the Disko Bay district, where the arctic tern has its greatest population density, amount to about 100,000 a year.

Black Guillemot ( Cepphus grylls ) is shot in large numbers, particularly in the fall and winter. Banding shows that 18% are shot.

Thick-billed or Brünnich’s Murre ( Uria lomvia ) is the most important bird to the Greenlanders apart from the eider duck. The flesh is eaten, the skins with feathers used for the tingmiaq, or birdskin coat, like those of the eider, or the feathers are sold to the trading company. Brünnich’s murre is particularly common in northwest Greenland (Jakobshavn, Umanak and Upernivik Dis ^ t ^ ricts), but hunting is not regula r ted on most of the breeding places. Shooting takes place on a large scale in summer at the bird colonies and has involved a general decrease in most places. This indiscriminate shooting is not generally prohibited, but many municipal governments in recent years have protected the local breeding places or limited shooting or ^ to ^ certain periods. In settlements near the large breeding places murres are an impor– tant source of food during the summer, and a large number are dried and salted for the winter.

In southwest Greenland the murres are mainly shot when wintering along the coast. They are usually captured from kayaks, and in order not to disturb the clocks too much the old “bird arrow” is still used for this hunting instead of a gun. The annual number captured has increased, being about 70,000 in 1850, about 100,000 in 1900, and no doubt nearer 150,000 in recent years. Egg collecting is done on the bird cliffs where they are accessible, but is

EA-Zoo. Salomonsen: Economic Use of Birds in Greenland

important only in Upernivik District where the annual number taken amounts to about 10,000 eggs.

Puffin and Auk. Puffin ( Fratercula arctica ) and razor-billed auk ( Alca torda ^ Alca torda ^ ) are too infrequent to be of any economic importance and are shot only occasionally. However, puffins’ eggs are collected in many places, and unfortunately this is done so carelessly (by digging out the eggs from the peat) that the breeding places are often deserted by the birds. This has resulted in a general decrease of the puffin everywhere.

Dovekie ( Plotus alle ) is of importance only in Thule District. In the winter quarters of the birds along the coast of southwest Greenland only a modest number are shot. In Thule District the devokie is d ^ c ^ aught in tens ^ ^ of thousands by the Polar Eskimos. The greater part are captured in nets fixed on rods and are cached in great piles for the winter. [: ] [: ] The skins are used for making coats. A great number of nest– lings are collected on the breeding places, particularly by women. Banding of adult birds has shown that 18% of the birds returning in subsequent years are captured.

Finn Salomonsen