The quota for narwhal in Repulse Bay, Nunavut, could be cut by almost half.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans wants to reduce the annual harvest of the sea mammal to 57 from 102.

Fisheries representatives released the numbers at a two-day meeting with the Hunters and Trappers Organization last week.

Michael Akkuardjuk chairs the local organization.

"The quota proposed is 57 and we should know before summer. Right now it's unclear. It may go ahead but at the same time we are hoping that it will not be the case."

Akkuardjuk says residents who attended the meeting strongly oppose the proposal.

Narwhal are a medium-sized whale with an extended tooth that live exclusively in Arctic waters around Baffin Island and Greenland.

They are designated as a species of "special concern" under the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) list.

Narwhal are currently being considered for protection under the Species At Risk Act.

If listed it would require the federal government to develop a management plan for the animal.