This paper is concerned with polar bear sport hunting and its
relationship to traditional Inuit subsistence pursuits. The context
for this discussion is the Nunavut community of Clyde River, Baffin
Island. Using data obtained from Clyde River Inuit who have been
employed by visiting polar bear trophy hunters, this paper
demonstrates that monies earned through this seasonal activity
plays a substantial role in Inuit subsistence. In doing so, it should be noted that the monetary aspect of Inuit
subsistence, of which sport hunt employment is a part is generally
overlooked or even repudiated by opponents of polar bear sport
hunting [8]. Further, in the present discussion, the term ‘‘subsistence’’,
while having important socio-cultural content [9–12], is
limited here in its meaning to the hunting of food species (ringed
seal, caribou and the like) by Inuit for their domestic consumption.
In essence, this paper is concerned with the material subsistence
benefits that accrue to Inuit as individuals and communities from
the sport hunt provision of the ACPB.