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SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND
Any further delay in a meeting between the co-management partners of the Southampton Island caribou herd is unacceptable, said Mitch Campbell.

Department of the Environment's David Lee takes a sample while monitoring disease within the Southampton Island caribou herd. - photo courtesy of Mitch Campbell

The Department of the Environment (DOE) biologist warns the export of caribou meat off the Island is totally unsustainable.

The partners are the Coral Hunters and Trappers Organization, Kivalliq Wildlife Board, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Campbell has told his minister the situation on Southampton Island has to be dealt with immediately.

He said everyone's aware that DOE is going to have to intervene unless the partners meet immediately.

"It comes down to either we're going to meet or we're going to have to arbitrarily set a total allowable harvest (TAH) if they refuse to meet with us," said Campbell.

"All I can do is say what's going on there is unsustainable and needs to be resolved, but it's the minister who has to pull the trigger on that one.

"I've pulled all the triggers I can in alarming our department that there's a conservation concern on Southampton Island right now."

Campbell began sounding the alarm when the total productivity of the herd's population was being matched by harvest numbers.

The herd's productivity potential - calves recruited into the population every year - is estimated at between 1,500 to 1,700 per year, which is how many caribou can be harvested for herd numbers to stay relatively the same.

Campbell said DOE's top priority has always been subsistence.

He said that's why the commercial harvest was voluntarily shutdown a few years ago.

"There were individuals in Coral Harbour who didn't agree with that, but they were very much in the minority.

"Now we're dealing with the right to dispose of caribou meat that's harvested by a beneficiary in any way they see fit.

"So, we're battling individuals because what they kill is considered part of their subsistence allocation, not commercial hunting."

Campbell said an acceptable time frame for the partners to meet was about two months ago.

He said hunters have already passed the 1,500 mark, which means every caribou harvested decreases the overall population and its ability to have calves.

"It's mostly fat females being harvested and they're the producers.

"When you remove breeding females from the Island, not only are you removing the overall number, you're also reducing the herd's ability to make up for the animals being harvested.

"We're at a point now where we've passed the edge - with about 2,000 animals already harvested - and are headed down because we've exceeded the sustainable harvest for this year.

"A calving year goes from June to June, so we still have spring hunting to go and people going to get their caribou and dry the meat."

Campbell said by the time June rolls around, the number of harvested caribou will reach 2,500 or worse.

He said that's 1,000 animals over the sustainable harvest that have been removed from productivity and won't be producing calves.

"Now, if we really want to address the situation, we have to put the TAH below 1,200, which represents the community's basic needs.

"We were looking at 1,500 this past fall, but since nothing has been stopped and everything went without being checked, we're in a totally different situation.

"Every week that goes by and animals leave that island, it comes off the basic needs.

"Exports are eating away at the basic needs of the community of Coral Harbour."

DOE assistant deputy minister Earle Baddaloo said his department needs to follow a process.

He said once all the facts are lined up, the DOE will meet with the various co-management boards and consult with the community before making a decision.

"We would have to look at the recommendations made by Mitch (Campbell), and then make a decision in regards to the recommendation we will make to our minister in regards to the direction we want to take," said Baddaloo.

Baddaloo said the selling of caribou meat at reduced cargo rates is among the issues DOE has to consider.

He said while the country food rate is to promote food for Inuit and is something DOE usually looks at approving, it has come under more scrutiny lately.

"In this case, there is an issue in regards to the herd, so we have to address it.

"However, it has to go through the process.

"We're working at getting the management partners together and we've briefed our minister as to where we're at in the process.

"I assure you we're definitely taking this seriously."

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