Addressing Epistemic Injustices in Species at Risk Assessments into Improved Credibility and Legitimacy: Case Study of Narwhal Management in Ittoqqortoormiit

The regulation of seal and whale hunting in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) belongs to the Naalakkersuisut (National Government), which is notably informed by the work of the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). Since 2004, quotas were set in Kalaallit Nunaat to supervise hunting practices and promote ecologically sustainable harvesting. In East Kalaallit Nunaat, recommendations for the closure of the narwhal (monodon monoceros) hunt from 2019 meet both national disagreement and local resistance for the preservation of the long-standing relation with narwhals organised around hunting. The situation requires further attention to deploy an informed dialogue in the light of both available literature and local narratives capturing knowledge and values which are underrepresented within scientific discussions, as are social sciences. Grounded in repetitive and long-standing research fieldwork in Ittoqqortoormiit, and extensive qualitative data collection from 2019 to 2023, the article shows that community members are strongly expressing their attachment and concern towards narwhal hunting together with the social, economic and cultural importance of mattak (narwhal’s skin). Local narratives also suggest that the resistance against the limitations on narwhal hunt is to be understood as the manifestation of epistemic injustices, resulting of being systematically unheard, distrusted and uninvolved for their expertise. We show that legitimacy and credibility of the scientific evidences and species management are contested. Ultimately, we ascertain the situation of epistemic injustices and raise the need to shift towards decolonial practices to open the possibility for the emergence of a fair and respectful dialogue that would support narwhal preservation.