Brodie Thomas
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 23, 2008

SAHTU/BEAUFORT DELTA - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) has accepted a recommendation by the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board (SRRB) to place a temporary quota on the Bluenose-West caribou herd.

The Bluenose-West herd is harvested by residents of Colville Lake, Fort Good Hope, and Norman Wells in the Sahtu. Paulatuk and Tuktoyaktuk also harvest from the herd.

The Gwich'in have rights to a small percentage of the herd but have chosen not to harvest from the Bluenose-West Herd in recent years.

The total allowable harvest will be set at four per cent of the 2006 survey numbers. Of the 700 caribou available for harvest, 350 will go to Paulatuk and Tuktoyaktuk, while the other 350 will be distributed to Sahtu communities based on their needs in previous years.

The quota is in response to the apparent decline in numbers of the herd. During a caribou photo survey in 2005, the department reported the population of the Bluenose-West caribou herd had been drastically reduced from 100,000 in the year 2000 to a little more than 18,000. A second study in 2006 confirmed the 2005 numbers.

The department of environment took their concerns to the SRRB in 2005.

"The SRRB were asked by ENR to impose a total allowable harvest, or quota, on the harvest to help the numbers to increase," said Jody Snortland, executive director of the SRRB.

The residents of Tuktoyaktuk and Paulatuk agreed to voluntary quota last year after hearing the recommendations.

The SRRB held a hearing in Fort Good Hope in November of 2007. At that hearing, residents of Colville Lake expressed concern about imposing a quota.

The possibility of a quota has been a contentious issue for the residents of Colville Lake. Many in Fort Good Hope are also opposed, although Snortland said the younger hunters are more accepting of the limits in Good Hope.

From the beginning, Colville Lake rejected the department's population numbers.

"So in the winter of 2007 they did their own surveys," said Snortland.

The community survey produced numbers slightly higher than the Department of Environment's but still very close. They counted around 20,000 animals.

"The people from Colville Lake that we did meet so far, the message that they gave us at the public hearing is that they didn't want any restrictions. So our report that there are going to be restrictions on harvest is not being accepted at the moment," said Snortland.

Colville Lake's band manager and SAO Joseph Kochon met with representatives of the SRRB and the department earlier in the week to discuss the minister's acceptance of the recommendation. Kochon said he will be holding a community meeting later this week to share what he learned at the meeting.

"We thought it best to interpret the recommendation made by the SRRB and the department to the community and get a reaction. Then we'll let them know what we think," said Kochon.

"I listened during the hearing (in November 2007) when the members of Colville Lake and Good Hope spoke. They want no limit on the caribou and myself, I feel the same. "

Snortland said the decision to place a quota on the herd was not taken lightly, and is being done for the health of the herd. The quota will be removed if numbers of the herd return to the 2000 levels.

Snortland also said Colville Lake's share of the quota is based upon past harvest numbers. Of the 350 animals available to Sahtu residents, Colville Lake residents would be entitled to 200, which is comparable to the number of caribou they have harvested in past years.

For Kochon, it is less a matter of numbers and more a matter of principle. Kochon said the people want to be more involved in the decision making process on Colville Lake's wildlife.

"The point is that we disagreed with this whole thing and the decline in the caribou herd because we're not involved with the actual count and the methods that were put in place," he said.

Snortland said there will be further meetings on this issue before it is finalized. Now that they have made the recommendation, the department will draft legislation on the caribou tags.

"We don't want to affect aboriginal harvesting rights. Our long term goal is to make sure there are caribou there for the future," said Snortland.