A life at sea in Sermiligaaq

In his white canoe, he is hunting for the narwhal.

With a keen eye, he follows its movements and tries to read where it is headed. With over two decades of experience, the narwhal is his favorite catch. Every summer, he sails to Kangerlussuaq to go narwhaling - a tradition he has kept alive for all 27 years.

For him, it is completely natural to catch narwhals from his canoe, a skill he learned from his father, who has passed on all his knowledge about hunting and wildlife.

The joy of killing the whale, the tasty meat and the feeling of being so close to the sea and the narwhal, gives an indescribable adrenaline rush.

Simujoq Nathanielsen lives in Sermiligaaq on the east coast of Greenland, about 100 kilometers north of Tasiilaq. According to him, there are less than 200 people living here.

- I have been a fisherman and trapper all my life, he tells AG.

He will soon be 57 years old and was born and raised in the fishing and trapper settlement of Sermiligaaq on the attractive east coast, surrounded by beautiful glaciers and a rich wildlife with narwhals and polar bears. Here Simujoq lives with his wife. Together they have four children and two grandchildren.

Everything that Simujoq knows about hunting - from the migrations of animals to the movements of the sea ice - he learned from his now deceased father.

- My father started teaching me when I was a child. When the blimps came, I was always with him hunting. I was the one who steered the boat, he says.

He has always felt at home in nature. Being close to nature has been a natural part of his life, and even as a child it was normal for him to spend whole days at the fishing grounds with his father.

The lack of a production factory

Today Simujoq lives as a fisherman and trapper in his village.

- In the winter I make a living by fishing for halibut, redfish and cod. There are plenty of halibut in our fjord, he says.

Since Sermiligaaq does not have a production plant, Simujoq sails to Kuummiit to buy his catch. However, climate change, which among other things makes the sea ice more unpredictable, is increasingly becoming a problem in the everyday life of fishermen and trappers in Sermiligaaq.

- Climate change is problematic for trappers, especially for commercial fishermen who live in a settlement without a production plant. It has become very difficult to make a living as a fisherman here, he says.

The unstable sea ice means that fewer and fewer people in Sermiligaaq have sled dogs.

- Today, perhaps less than ten people have sled dogs, where there used to be over 30, says Simujoq Nathanielsen.

He says that the route to Kuummiit, the procurement site, usually only becomes safe around April or June. In the past, people used to go to Kuummiit by dog ​​sled to procure, but this is no longer possible due to the unstable sea ice.

- Right now, for example, the ice is very thin, and no one has gone on a dog sled yet. Before the sea ice became so unstable, it was otherwise possible to go to Kuummiit by dog ​​sled, for example, at Christmas time, he says.

The catch quotas also play a significant role in his life as a fisherman and trapper and entail considerable challenges.

- The quotas for polar bears and narwhals in the Tasiilaq area in particular are seen as a major problem among trappers. This is very disappointing for us. The quota distribution feels very inappropriate to us, he says.

The next generation

Despite the unpredictability of the sea ice and the lack of a production plant, Simujoq loves life as a fisherman in Sermiligaaq.

- We help each other quite a bit, us fishermen and trappers in Sermiligaaq. I really like that. I am so grateful for that, says Simujoq Nathanielsen.

An important part of the trapper culture is also to involve the children.

He has two grandchildren, who are – to his great joy – very interested in the trapper life.

- The boys are very skilled, and I try to teach them everything I can. Last year the youngest - seven years old - shot his first skunk. I was incredibly happy, he says.

Simujoq follows the trapper seasons and collects for storage. In addition to narwhals, he also catches seals, hooded seals, redfish and halibut.

This is how Simujoq lives his life with his wife, who is always by his side and acts as his indispensable support in a hunting culture in a close-knit local community, known for strong family ties and a close community. Knowledge about hunting, the sea and the weather is passed on from generation to generation - just as Simujoq tries to pass on his knowledge to his children and grandchildren.

Despite the challenges, Sermiligaaq is for him a place characterized by pride, traditions and a deep connection to nature - a community where life is lived close to both the sea, the ice and each other.