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DEH CHO
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is calling on hunters from across the Deh Cho to assist in evaluating the health of the region's moose population.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is using samples submitted by hunters in the Deh Cho to check the health of the moose population in the region. - NNSL file photo

During the sixth biennial Dehcho Wildlife Workshop last October, participants asked how healthy the animals eaten in the region, particularly moose, really are. In response, the department has launched a moose harvest sampling study that will be part of the existing Dehcho Moose Population Monitoring Program, said Nic Larter, manager of wildlife, research and monitoring in the Deh Cho for the department.

Samples tested

Sampling kits have been given to every First Nation in the six Deh Cho communities the department is responsible for.

Hunters will be paid $75 for every kit they complete. The study requires the front teeth from the moose, one entire kidney with the fat, a piece of liver and a piece of muscle each about eight centimetres square, an ankle bone with marrow and a sample of fecal pellets.

The results from tests conducted on the samples will be compared to the findings from a similar study conducted between 2004 and 2007 in the Deh Cho. That study was also requested by the First Nations, Larter said.

"You want to know whether or not things are getting better, staying the same or getting worse," he said.

Kidneys are filtering organs, so having a kidney complete with fat to study is important, Larter said.

However, kidneys are often eaten right away, making them one of the most difficult samples to obtain.

"Kidneys are an extreme delicacy," he said.

Recognizing that asking for whole kidneys takes away a primary food source is one of the main reasons why harvesters will be reimbursed for completing the kits, said Larter.

Cadmium, a naturally-occurring heavy metal, is one of the primary contaminants the study will look for. Cadmium accumulates in moose organs as they get older.

Due to high cadmium levels found during the 2004-07 survey, a public health advisory was issued, advising people eat only one serving of kidney from a Mackenzie Valley moose every two months and one serving of liver per week. As a precaution, people were asked to stop eating the kidneys of moose from the Mackenzie Mountains altogether.

"We're hoping that the levels are the same or lower," said Larter, referring to data from the current survey.

The study will also look at levels of other heavy metals including arsenic, mercury, zinc and lead.

Muscle tissue will be used to test for levels of radionuclides, which result from exposure to radioactivity. The first study found these levels have decreased in the past 40 years – since the end of atmospheric atomic tests and accidents such as Chernobyl.

The levels are now so low that they aren't a danger to humans or wildlife, said Larter. In general, moose in the Deh Cho have low levels of contaminants and a low prevalence of diseases, he said.

"They are still a very healthy country food choice," said Larter. The department is hoping to get samples from all of the Deh Cho communities. Samples from Trout Lake will be particularly welcomed because the community didn't participate in the 2004-07 study. Although it is not part of this study, the department is also interested in any sightings of moose infected with winter ticks. Infestations are not uncommon in the South Slave and Sahtu, Larter said.

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