Yellowknife (Jan 17/07) - After barren ground outfitters had their caribou tag-limit cut in half this week, Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Brendan Bell said he will take an aid proposal to cabinet.

"I don't know what the proposal would look like (but) I think we can see this industry is under pressure," said Bell

In December, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael McLeod recommended the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resource Board limit outfitters tags to 350.

This caused an outcry among outfitters who said the measure would put them out of business.

Last year outfitters used 727 of the 1,559 tags the territorial government provided and Bell said this guided the decision to revise their allotment.

"Obviously we were advocating for the interests of the outfitters (and) the proposed 350 was too much too soon for the outfitters to handle given that they had already sold hunts," said Bell. "What we have said and ENR and the premier has agreed is 750 is enough for the industry which took 727 caribou last year."

With most operators heading to outdoor-adventure consumer shows around North America this week, outfitters like Boyd Warner said many would be giving bad news to prospective clients rather than selling hunts.

"This is the worst thing that can happen to NWT tourism," said a discouraged Warner. "Under the promise of (former environment) minister (Michael) Miltenberger that we would have 132 tags per outfitter, we sold our hunts based on that and they have now arbitrarily decided they're not going to honour that. It means that customers will have to stay home."

Bell said he was not privy to any conversations Miltenberger had with individual outfitters but admitted ENR's proposal to the WRRB was unexpected.

In February Miltenberger announced that tags for outfitters would be dropped to 1999 levels. In that year three hunters and trappers association outfitters were given 396 caribou tags while 924 were alloted to non-HTA outfitters.