Tab.1: Total estimated muskox numbers and quotas in management zones of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

In view of the drastic growth in the Canadian Inuit population, the rising costs of living, the missing job and income alternatives and the high unemployment rate in the arctic, efforts are being made to make use of the muskox populations in order to provide additional sources of food and/or revenue. The present paper attempts to review the course of muskox utilization in the Canadian Arctic and to tentatively assess its present as weIl as its future economic importance. Starting with the pre-European status of muskoxen in Canada, the drastic reduction in numbers resulting from the combined efforts of hide traders, whalers and expedition parties in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the impact of the legal protection and the recovery since 1917 are being described. Establishing muskox farms with semi-domesticated herds failed in Canada in the 1970's. Since 1969, though, increasing numbers of animals have been allotted to many Inuit communities, and despite the fact that most of the animals were primarily used for subsistence purposes, some communities could reserve part of their quotas for trophy (sport) hunters. While controlled sustainable subsistence and trophy hunts may eventually be carried out over the whole muskox range, including recently colonized northern Quebec, commercial harvesting for meat, hides and wool, introduced in 1981, will at least for some time be restricted to Banks and Victoria islands which at present show 78 % of the Canadian muskox population and 94 % of the overall quota.

鉴于加拿大因纽特（Inuit）人口急剧增长、生活成本攀升、就业与收入渠道匮乏，以及北极（Arctic）地区高失业率的严峻现状，当地正积极尝试利用麝牛（muskox）种群以开辟额外的食物及收入来源。本研究旨在系统回顾加拿大北极地区麝牛利用的发展历程，并初步评估其当前及未来的经济价值。研究将从欧洲人抵达前加拿大麝牛的种群状态展开，详述19世纪至20世纪初，皮草商人、捕鲸者及探险队的联合活动导致麝牛种群锐减的过程，同时介绍1917年以来法律保护措施对种群恢复的推动作用。20世纪70年代，加拿大尝试建立半驯化麝牛种群的养殖项目最终宣告失败。不过自1969年起，越来越多的麝牛被分配至多个因纽特社区，尽管多数个体最初仅用于自给性狩猎，但部分社区可将部分配额预留给运动战利品狩猎（trophy (sport) hunting）从业者。目前，受控可持续的自给性狩猎与运动战利品狩猎或可在整片麝牛分布区推行，包括新近被麝牛拓殖的魁北克北部地区；而1981年推出的针对麝牛肉、皮毛及麝牛绒的商业化猎捕活动，至少在未来一段时期内仍将仅限于班克斯岛与维多利亚岛——这两座岛屿目前拥有加拿大78%的麝牛种群，以及94%的总猎捕配额。