Residents of Sachs Harbour were delighted by a beluga whale catch on Sept. 4, after waiting all summer for a sighting with little luck.
Richard Carpenter spotted three whales near the community while out for a walk that day, his sister Doreen Carpenter said.
“He called in town and right away they rounded up a group of guys to go hunting – three boats in total,” she said.
Richard Carpenter, J.D. Keogak, Wayne Gully, Dustyn Gully, John Keogak, Warren Esau, Jon Michael Keogak, Terence Lennie, Jeff Kuptana and Matt Bowman all took part, said Carpenter.
About three hours later, her son Dustyn Gully harpooned and shot the animal and it was eventually dragged to shore with the help of a loader because it was so heavy.
“That's the biggest whale we've gotten so far,” said Carpenter, explaining it measured 15 feet and nine inches, and about 10 feet around.
It was also a very healthy whale, with fat between four to five inches thick, she estimated.
“Usually the fat we run into with whales is about two inches,” she said.
Another whale was caught in Sachs Harbour earlier this summer, but it turned out to be sick and couldn't be eaten, said Carpenter.
Residents were just getting ready to order whale from the south when they were spotted in the waters by Sachs Harbour, said Carpenter.
This time, everyone in town was given a chance to share the beluga.
“We put it on Facebook for people to come down and grab some muktuk and meat if they wanted,” said Carpenter. “There was a lot of people that helped volunteer (to) cut it up.”
It's only in the last 10 years or so that the community has started to see whales at its shores, she added.
“So this is rare,” she said. “It's a big thing when someone gets a whale or even sees them out there, because we don't get them very often.”
RCMP seize liquor in Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson - RCMP seized approximately 48 mickeys of vodka, a 40-ounce bottle of rum and 28 grams of marijuana on Sept. 8 from two Inuvik residents working in Fort McPherson.
It happened around 5 p.m. while local officers were holding a traffic check on the Dempster Highway, according to a news release from the Mounties.
“The quantity of liquor that a person may possess in Fort McPherson is strictly limited by the Northwest Territories Liquor Act as it is a restricted community,” the news release stated.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
No charges had been laid as of Sept. 15.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Fort McPherson RCMP at 867-952-1111 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Peel River ferry back in operation
Fort McPherson - The Peel River ferry was up and running again on Sept. 16 after being shut down for six days due to high water and debris.
The ferry, which connects the Dempster Highway near Fort McPherson to the other side of the highway crossing into the Yukon, was shut down Sept. 11, said Merle Carpenter, Beaufort Delta Region superintendent with the Department of Infrastructure.
Rain from the previous week, snow from the mountains and a string of warm weather contributed to the situation, he said.
“The water was running pretty hard and there was a bunch of debris,” said Carpenter. “When the water comes up it brings all the logs and all the dead wood and stuff.”
The intention of closing the ferry was to avoid putting any strain on equipment, he said.
“The landings on both sides were underwater, so once the water dropped we had to fix the landing,” said Carpenter, who added the ferry is cable operated.
Travellers are advised to check the GNWT's website for ferry schedules and conditions.