Nunavut Wildlife Management Board wraps up caribou consultations
GN proposes its 1st-ever quotas for Bathurst, Bluenose East caribou herds
The Nunavut government is looking at what to do about the Bluenose East and the Bathurst caribou herds, which have declined dramatically in recent years.
Officials recently wrapped up consultations about the issue.
The Bathurst herd, which numbered about half a million in the mid-1980s, has declined to between 16,000 and 22,000 animals in 2015.
The Bluenose East herd has declined from about 100,000 caribou in 2000 to between 35,000 and 40,000 caribou in 2015.
In a recommendation to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, the Government of Nunavut proposed quotas for both herds: 340 bulls for the Bluenose East caribou and 30 for the Bathurst herd. It's the first time Nunavut has recommended a hunting quota for these herds.
Larry Adjun, chair of the Hunters and Trappers Organization in Kugluktuk, says they're on board with the Bluenose East quota but they want to manage the plan themselves, and not be told what to do by the government.
"The problem is, the GN after our submission, they came to the conclusion that our proposal and plan is just as close as the GN's. We're all working towards contribution but our problem is we weren't given the opportunity to exercise our right under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement."
The agreement gives HTOs the power to regulate the harvest among its members.
Dan Shewchuck, chair of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, says they'll take into account the needs of Nunavut hunters, while also considering the hunting bans and quotas already set in the N.W.T.
The NWMB has set a September target to decide on its recommendations.