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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Dene leaders have said they are no longer going to recognize quotas on caribou herds and have called for an end to satellite collars.

This leaves many groups in the territory wondering how they plan to protect and regulate declining populations.

Satellite collars similar to this one help provide researchers and scientists with priceless data about caribou herds.

A motion on caribou management was passed unanimously at the Dene National Assembly. It recognizes the historic and current importance of caribou to the Dene way of life. It also acknowledges a decline in herd numbers and calls this "a crisis situation and a priority item to be addressed by all nations, the mining industry and governments."

It states that "the quota system does not apply to the Dene" and "satellite collars must not be used to monitor caribou any further as they cause stress and injury to the caribou." Chief Bill Erasmus clarified the wording of the motion in an interview.

"I don't think our people are completely saying, 'don't use collars.' They're saying 'don't use collars that are stressful and add more injury to the caribou,'" said Erasmus.

He said people would like to see newer technology used such as the microchips that are implanted in fish.

But Sahtu Renewable Resources Board (SRRB) executive director Jody Snortland said the microchips implanted in fish use radio wave technology, not satellite technology. Researchers must physically catch the fish to retrieve data from the microchips. She said satellite collars do not require invasive surgery. The caribou are only captured once and released within minutes. The collars automatically drop off at a set time.

"We believe collars are necessary for the scientific research we need to do. We also agree that the collars should provide as little stress as possible. We don't want to add injury to the caribou either," said Snortland.

Their size is limited by battery technology, which is improving every year.

"With changes in technology every day we see the collars improving. We believe they'll improve over time," she said.

Snortland also said the maps created with satellite collars are often requested by and freely given to hunters throughout the Sahtu. The maps can provide up to the hour information on the location of herds to hunters who are travelling out by helicopter, boat, or snowmobile.

"I think there is a disconnect in the understanding of the collars and the end product of the maps which collars provide," said Snortland.

As for quotas, Erasmus also clarified the wording of the resolution in an interview.

"The trick is to present this in a way that the communities have a greater say in what is going on. You may monitor and so on. I think the problem is using the term 'quota.' It suggests that people are being restricted. Rather than being restricted people want to monitor themselves," said Erasmus.

Erasmus said the Dene would rather self-regulate the harvests as they have for thousands of years.

Snortland said the SRRB has never used the term "quota." Instead it has called for a voluntary restriction on harvest of the herd by limiting the number of caribou taken from the Bluenose West herd to around four per cent of the total population. The request went to the minister of Environment and natural Affairs, who approved their request.

"The Minister (of ENR) is not implementing a quota. He is implementing a tag system at our request," said Snortland.

They have requested the use of caribou tags for this season so better records can be kept on the population. The tags are not meant to restrict hunters because the number of tags provided is based on last year's harvest.

"I do hope that folks will voluntarily restrict their harvesting until numbers improve and that monitoring efforts are consistent," said Snortland.

She maintains that the tag system was recommended to protect the herd, which has dropped from 100,000 animals eight years ago to less than 20,000 animals today.

Under the Sahtu Land Claim agreement, the Dene have a minimum needs level which protects their right to harvest enough caribou to meet their basic needs. There is currently no limit on the number of animals the Dene may harvest. The tag system should be in place this fall for hunters of the Bluenose West caribou herd.