Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik

Hunters in a remote community in Nunavutare concerned about a mysterious sound that appears to becoming from the sea floor.

• UPDATE |Military plane investigates mystery 'ping' near Igloolik

The "pinging"sound,sometimes also described as a "hum"or "beep,"has been heardin Fury andHeclaStrait roughly 120 kilometres northwest of the hamlet ofIgloolikthroughout the summer.

PaulQuassa, a member of the legislative assembly, says whatever thecause, it's scaring the animals away.

"That's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's apolynya," an areaof open water surrounded by ice that's abundant with sea mammals, he said.

"And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any.And this became a suspicious thing."

The noise is "emanating from the sea floor," according to remarks Quassamade last month in the Nunavut legislature.

Another area MLA,GeorgeQulaut, said he visited the site after hearing the reports. Though he wasn't able to hear the sound he says years of hunting have left him nearly deaf, especially to high-pitched sounds he did notice the lack of wildlife.

"That passage is a migratory route forbowheadwhales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," he told CBC News, recalling his own days of hunting there.

"This summer there was none."

Boaters aboard a private yachtpassingthroughthe areaalso say theyheardthe mysterious sound, and described it during an appearance on a community radioshowupontheirarrivalinIgloolik. Anumberof people calledin to say they'd also heard it.

The noise can apparently be heard through the hulls of boats.CBC News has not heard the noise and did not speak to anyone who claims to have heard it.

Theories abound

Nobody seems to know where the sound comes from, but theories from environmental activists to mining abound.

One theory blames BaffinlandIron Mines Corporation. The company has previously conducted sonar surveys of nearbySteensbyInlet in conjunction with its Mary River mine southwest of Pond Inlet. But the company told CBC News it is not conducting any surveys in the area, and has no equipment in the water.

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Quassasays noterritorial permitshave been issued for work such as construction, blasting or hydrography in the area that could explain the noise.

Healso says some of his constituentssuspect the sound is being generated on purpose byGreenpeaceto scare wildlife awayfrom the rich hunting ground. The organization has a tense past with Inuit stemming from its opposition to the seal hunt in the1970sand1980s.

"We've heard in the past of groups likeGreenpeaceputting in some kinds of sonars in the seabed to get the sea mammals out of the way so Inuit won't be able to hunt them," Quassa said.

These rumours, though persistent, have never been substantiated.

"Nobody has ever seen any type of ship or anything going through that area and putting something down," Quassa said.

Greenpeacedenies the assertion.

"Not only would we not do anything to harm marine life, but we very much respect the right of Inuit to hunt and would definitely not want to impact that in any way," FarrahKhan, a spokeswoman for the organization, said from Toronto.

Military investigating

The military is also aware of the noise, and says it is looking into it.

Internal correspondence between sources in the Department of National Defence, obtained by CBC News, suggestsubmarines were not immediately ruled out, but were also not considered a likely cause.

A spokesperson told CBC News the armed forces are investigating.

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"The Department of National Defencehas been informed of the strange noises emanating in the Fury andHeclaStrait area, and the Canadian Armed Forces are taking the appropriate steps to actively investigate the situation," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.

Igloolik is about 70 kilometres north of Hall Beach, an active military site that was once part of the now-defunct DEW line of radar stations.

In the meantime,Qulautis worried about the sound's impact on game animals that have been feeding in the area for centuries. For now, the community has no answers about the sound, its origins, or what it might be doing to the animals.

"As of today, we're still working on it," he said.

"We don't have a single clue."

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