For many coastal Arctic communities, whaling is a key food source and an important way to maintain Iñupiat traditions. But this year, in the far north, spring whaling in Utqiagvik is off to a late start because of unusual ice conditions.
"People were getting frustrated, you know. People get hungry for muktuk,” hunter Daaqsi Moore said. “It was good to see everybody's spirits flip when Chucky landed that whale.”