Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Coral Harbour (Sep 07/05) - Economic viability of commercial caribou and muskox hunts in Nunavut is the subject of two studies this year.

A June survey of caribou populations on Southampton Island will help determine whether the current level of commercial harvesting on the island is sustainable. A broader, territory wide study on commercial caribou and muskox harvests is planned for this fall.

The caribou harvest on Southampton Island employs about 60 people annually for six to 10 weeks. The payroll is $500,000 with an estimated $3 million in economic spin-offs for Coral Harbour. About 10 people are employed full time at Kivalliq Arctic Foods in Rankin Inlet, processing the harvested caribou. Their payroll is $300,000 with $1.3 million in economic spin-offs. - Source: Kivalliq Arctic Foods

It is known that caribou populations on Southampton island have declined in the last decade, but that's OK.

"The decline is good news," said Kivalliq regional wildlife biologist Mitch Campbell.

"It does not mean the caribou are disappearing."

In 1997, 30 years after caribou were re-introduced to the island, the population had grown to about 30,000 animals, the estimated maximum number the island's ecosystem can support.

In the next six years more than 30,000 animals were harvested for domestic and commercial use. The 2003 population survey estimated 20,000 animals remained on the island, a decline of 10,000 in six years.

"That's a lot of animals, and that's what we believe directly caused the decline," Campbell said.

Data from the June survey has not yet been analyzed or checked for errors, but Campbell is "optimistic" about the herd.

"This could change, but from the observations made during the survey it seems the population levels have changed little since 2003," he said. An ideal population size for the island is considered to be 15,000.

Campbell is quick to point out there is not a conservation issue on the island. His priority is to make sure the increased commercial harvesting levels since 1997 will not affect the future of subsistence hunting.

"That is my top priority. I want to make sure people can put meat on the table."

He estimates $10 million worth of caribou, as compared to the price of lean ground beef, is eaten each year in the Kivalliq region alone.

Hunting and cultural practices associated with caribou are important to preserve as well, he said.

"You can't put a dollar value on that."

What the government wants to know is, what can you put a dollar value on? Uses for caribou and muskox horns and hides, and ways they could be marketed is an area of interest in this falls study.

Kivalliq Foods, which processes and sells caribou meat harvested by residents of Coral Harbour, only sells the meat. They also sell arctic char. The meat is sold in southern Canada and the United States.

The companies general manager, Brian Schindel, said there may be markets for caribou meat which have not been tapped into yet.

"Any time one has a good product, there is always a demand for it," he said in an email.

Right now there are not a lot of Nunavut companies exporting animal products made or processed in a "factory setting.""This is a good thing," Schindel said. "There is a limited supply of caribou, it is not like farmed game animals."

Campbell expects to be done checking the caribou survey data by the first week in September. The Aiviit Hunters and Trappers Association in Coral Harbour will be the first to receive a copy of the results.

Funding for both studies comes as a result of the Agricultural Policy Framework Initiative, an agreement signed between the federal and territorial governments. Funding for both projects totals $165,000.

Campbell said without this money a survey on caribou would never have been done.

"Caribou's the best meat on the planet, bar none."