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DEH CHO
Some harvesters and trappers across the territory have been helping the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) learn more about one of the territory's predators.

A study by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is increasing knowledge about the ecology of wolverines and the harvesting pressures the species is facing in the territory. - Anna Yu photo

For approximately the past five years, the department has been collecting wolverine carcasses as part of a study to learn more about the species' ecology and the harvesting pressures it faces. To get the carcasses, the department has been relying on local harvesters and trappers, said Robert Mulders, a carnivore biologist with ENR's wildlife division.

The department has been paying $50 for each carcass, minus the valuable pelt, that harvesters bring to an ENR office.

This year, the study has been narrowed to skulls, for which harvesters receive a $25 compensation. The harvester is also asked to provide some information on where and when the wolverine was harvested.

The study was started in part because the department wanted to track the harvesting pressures and patterns on wolverines, said Mulders. In Canada, wolverines are facing harvest pressure and loss of habitat. In western Canada, in particular, the wolverine populations are stable or declining.

"We think, North of 60 we have a fairly healthy, stable population," he said.

The territory, however, can't be complacent, said Mulders. As resource development opens up more areas, harvest pressure can be expected to increase as wolverines are killed by residents, both for sport hunting and when they become problem animals around camps.

The department was able to gather some harvesting information from the number of pelts going through the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Marketing Program and export permits.

Not all pelts, however, are sold. In some communities they are highly valued for fur trim and, therefore, used locally, said Mulders.

Through the study the department is working with harvesters to get a better sense of harvesting patterns. On average, 140 to 150 carcasses are given to the study every year.

In 2010, approximately 14 came from the Deh Cho including nine from Fort Liard and three from Fort Simpson. In 2011, the number rose to 18 including 10 from Fort Liard, three from Kakisa, one from Jean Marie River and a few each from both Fort Simpson and Trout Lake.

Mulders said he knows all the carcasses still aren't being brought in but the information that's gathered is still useful.

"It's giving us a snapshot," he said.

Necropsies

From necropsies performed in Yellowknife, the study has been gathering data about wolverine's ecology including their age, what they eat seasonally and whether more males or females are being harvested. In the Deh Cho, the study found wolverines bring down or scavenge large animals including caribou and moose in the late fall and winter as well as snowshoe hares and sometimes wolves.

Even using just the skulls, the age and sex of the wolverine can be established.For an unrelated study on the presence of trichinella in predators in the Deh Cho, Nic Larter – a regional biologist with the department – is using tongue samples from the animals to determine the presence of the parasite in wolverines.

So far the study has found a far higher prevalence in wolverines at 23.1 per cent of all samples, compared to five per cent of black bears sampled.

Using the data gathered from the wolverine carcass study, the department may start talks with communities and regional boards next year about establishing management plans for wolverines, said Mulders.

If harvesting levels are believed to be unsustainable in some areas, communities may be asked to help decrease the pressure there, he said.

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