Aupaluk, Quebec is known for a few things, including an abundant local wildlife filled with polar bears and wolves. What it is not known for are sharks. Not until now.
Sharks are exactly what residents of Nunavik’s smallest community saw last weekend though—three of them. The three Greenland sharks are believed to have followed a cargo-ship in from Ungava Bay last week.
“It was an amazing sight,” says Jean Basdeo, the science teacher for the community, as her eyes light up. “Just unreal. I went out to pick mussels. I didn’t expect this.”
No one did. In the thirty-six years since Aupaluk was established—the settlement of 174 was later conferred as a Northern Village in 1981—there has never been a shark spotted in the water. Instead, it is an area known for polar bears, caribou and wolves. Sea life is usually consistant in these parts.
“This is the first time we have ever had a shark in Aupaluk,” confirms Lizzie Gordon, a resident of the community since its establishment. Aupaluk, which means where the earth is red, has several established hunters ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
The credit for the kill is given to Lazarusie Grey, another long-time resident of the community, and a proven hunter. Even still, the shark put up a fight. “It took thirty shots to kill it,” Basdeo says.
The shark that was killed is six feet long. “It’s a baby,” Gordon says. The other two are speculated to be between 16 and 21 feet in length. “Around three times the size [of the baby].”
The speculation about how and why the three sharks were here is still on-going. "They might have followed [the cargo ship] in from Ungavan Bay," Basdeo offers. It provides her secondary school science students with an interesting lab opportunity. "They'll get to dissect it," she says.
The shark—which was left out in the community schoolyard for everyone to appreciate—will be used for science classes and, if treated properly, possibly eaten. “People will have to be careful though,” Basdeo says. “The skin is poisonous.”
The head might be saved as a reminder that sometimes there are sharks in this water. “It’s important not to forget these things,” Gordon says.
Whether this is an anomaly or the beginning of a trend remains to be seen. In the meantime, it’s best to stay out of the water.
