Proposed U.S. legislation aims to protect polar bears, but it threatens the sport hunting industry in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, which depends on American hunters.

The bipartisan proposed polar bear protection act would close a loophole in the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. The loophole, created in 1984, allows American hunters to bring their trophies from other countries home.

The government of Nunavut is opposed to listing the polar bear as threatened.
(CBC)

Three animal activist groups — the Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare — have applauded the move, saying polar bears are in danger due to shrinking sea ice.

"There's a polar bear population in Alaska but no trophy hunting or sport hunting is allowed under U.S. law," said Michael Markarian, the executive vice-president of external affairs with the Humane Society of the United States.

"So we don't believe American trophy hunters should go to other countries and kill polar bears if polar bears are protected here in the U.S."

Markarian said his organization is not opposed to a sustainable subsistence hunt by Inuit.

The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on May 16 and has support from politicians including Democratic Senator John Kerry. It has now been referred to committees in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

It comes as the U.S. government considers whether polar bears should be listed as a threatened species under its Endangered Species Act. A decision is expected early next year.

The government of Nunavut is opposed to listing the polar bear as threatened, citing concerns that it would hurt the territory's lucrative polar bear sport hunting industry because many of the hunters are American.