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Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou herd decline 'deadly serious'

The latest population surveys conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources indicate both the Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou herds "continue to decline significantly," officials announced on Nov. 20.

Avery Zingel/NNSL photo
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Robert C. McLeod, flanked by ENR Wildlife Director Brett Elkin, announced the rapid decline of the Bluenose-East and Bathurst caribou herds.

"The news that I am sharing with you today is not good. The really troubling results are for the Bathurst and Bluenose-East herds," said Minister Robert C. Mcleod, announcing the decline of both herds.

Surveys completed in June 2018 show the Bathurst herd has more than halved in size, from 20,000 animals in 2015 to 8,200 in 2018.

Both populations shrank despite co-management and work to protect the herds, he said.

In response to questions from Yellowknifer about whether the federal government could institute a federal safety net order under the Species At Risk Act, McLeod responded that he hopes it won't come to that.

"That's always a possibility," he said, adding that it could happen if the federal government finds the "made in the NWT approach" to be unsatisfactory.

The federal environment minister may only recommend a safety-net order if there are no other federal laws that will ensure protection and if the Minister is of the opinion that the laws of a province or territory do not effectively protect a species' critical habitat.

In July 2018, eight of the NWT's nine barren-ground caribou herds (all but the Porcupine herd) were listed as species at risk under the territory's species at risk legislation. The designation triggers a legal requirement to develop a recovery strategy for the herds within two years.

Management plans are already in place for several of the territory's herds.

The Cape Bathurst herd surveyed this summer is showing more stable populations.

The Cape Bathurst herd rose from 2,500 animals in 2015 to 4,500 in 2018, states a Nov. 20 news release from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).

The Bluenose-West herd has been stable for the last decade and stands at 21,000 animals.

The Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula population is estimated to have declined from 1,900 animals in 2015 to 1,500 animals.

Traditional knowledge from Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples indicate historical fluctuations in caribou herds, with both "sharp declines and rapid increases in the past," said McLeod.

Despite that historical knowledge, the herds must be managed on an ongoing basis using scientific and traditional knowledge, he said.

McLeod reached out to Indigenous governments and the renewable resources boards to "start immediate work" to create joint proposals with affected Indigenous governments.

"We need to avoid the temptation to look for easy explanations. We cannot afford to be a one-issue government," he said, adding the government must balance social, economic and environmental priorities.

There are nine herds that spend all or most of their time in the NWT. With major declines in herds, most of them use a smaller "core range" compared to their historical ranges, said Joe Dragon, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources. 

Declines follow 'natural ebb and flow'

Caribou species have historically followed stark declines and population expansion, as part of a "natural ebb and flow," said Dragon. 

However, “the decline within three years is very alarming," he said. "While populations are low it is important that we work together to protect caribou."

ENR will now consult with Indigenous governments to push forward with three-year management plans, which will go through the renewable resource boards and go to public hearings.

In the face of significant decline in the Bathurst herd, all resident and outfitter harvests closed in 2009.

In 2010, the size of Indigenous harvest of the herd was reduced from an estimated 5,000 animals per year to 300 animals per year, with 150 tags allocated to Tlicho people and 120 to the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

To manage the Bluenose-East herd, the Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management recommended an interim harvest limit of 1800 animals, with 80 per cent bulls in 2015.

In 2016, the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board (WRRB) determined that 750 animals could be harvested within the Wek'eezhkii boundary, in support of the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board's Deline plan to harvest up to 150 animals, 80 per cent of which could be bulls.

Deline implemented its own community-based caribou conservation plan, which allows for community self-regulation of caribou harvesting. Since 2010, Tlicho communities and Deline have primarily harvested from the Bluenose-East herd, with some harvest from Kugluktuk and Nunavut.