Wildlife board to consider future of herd at public hearings March 11, March 12
NUNATSIAQ NEWS
This map shows the caribou population areas that Government of Nunavut wildlife officials surveyed by air in 2014. (IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NUNAVUT)
As the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board prepares for public hearings this week on whether to allow hunting of the diminishing Baffin caribou herds, some groups are calling for an immediate lifting of the ban and a limited harvest.
The Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board is requesting the Jan. 1, 2015, ban be quashed and a quota of 60 bull caribou be established with animals distributed equally to Baffin hunters and trappers organizations through the QWB.
“Inuit are of the opinion that although the numbers are low, this will not result in the depletion of the Baffin Island caribou population,” says the QWB submission to the NWMB, dated Feb. 13, 2015.
They say the Baffin caribou hunting moratorium, now more than two months old, was done swiftly and in “relative secrecy,” and they argue that, “in considering the importance and value of caribou, a hunt, no matter how limited, is necessary for Baffin Island communities.”
For it’s part, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. supports the limited harvest of 60 bulls annually and says the quota should be in place, “no later than 1 June 2015.”
The land claim organization also supports other possible measures to reduce the impact on the dwindling Baffin Island herd, including banning hunting for non-Inuit but allowing a three-week open season for Inuit, in August perhaps, for bull caribou only.
“Specific reporting conditions could be attached to such an Inuit harvest, and specific sensitive areas closed to harvesting,” NTI’s submission said.
The GN’s environment department is also making a recommendation to the NWMB: between 47 and 140 bull caribou, which means a harvest of one to three per cent of the remaining herd.
“Note that each cow harvested in the population is equivalent to approximately three bulls; therefore a mixed harvest would need to be proportionately lower,” says the GN’s February 2015 submission.
The GN document summarizes the bad news that everyone’s heard already: recent aerial surveys have shown that there are between 3,400 and 6,200 caribou left on the island, down from an estimated 100,000 in 1985.
North Baffin is particularly barren, government wildlife officials say, with only a few hundred caribou left.
Inuit knowledge and contemporary research both agree that the Baffin herds have gone through natural boom and bust population cycles over the years.
“Although the current decline is not being blamed on hunters, we believe over-harvesting when there are so few animals may lead to further decline and possibly even extirpation of this population,” the GN’s submission said.
Extirpation means they would no longer exist locally.
But if other NWMB submissions from various parties are any indication, the public hearings, scheduled to take place this week in Iqaluit, will be lively.
The Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Organization held a public consultation on Jan. 22 and more than 40 people showed up. Their submission includes comments gathered at that meeting.
Most Pangnirtung hunters said they were shocked by the ban. One said if he saw a caribou, he would hunt it anyway and thus break the law.
Others said it’s important to support the ban, for a year perhaps, to preserve the herd for future generations.
One hunter pointed to the actions of late-elder Noah Piugatuk of Igloolik who, along with fellow hunters, harvested a bowhead whale in contravention of a ban in place at the time.
“When it was caught, they distributed the meat to the community. They got charged and fined for doing the hunt. But they also got praised for practicing the old ways,” the Pangnirtung hunter is quoted as saying. “Even if we get charged, we should just continue to practice our tradition.”
Many blamed wolves for the decline and one hunter even suggested the GN should establish a bounty so hunters can harvest Baffin wolves.
And just to show the power and reach of social media these days, one hunter even suggested the Pangnirtung HTO set up a Facebook page to keep everyone informed.
Several other hunters and trappers organizations made submissions to the NWMB as well.
The Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers in Pond Inlet suggested a quota of five caribou per person for a year, or 50 to 90 per community.
Kimmirut hunters and trappers support a quota but don’t offer a number. They also “urge the Government of Nunavut to see if reindeer caribou can be transported to Baffin Island.”
The public hearings will take place March 11 and March 12 at the Anglican Parish hall in Iqaluit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
If necessary, the NWMB may hold evening meetings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.