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SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND
The results of the survey on the remaining Southampton Island caribou are far worse than researchers feared.

Observer Rae Pudlat looks for caribou during a survey of the Southampton Island herd this past month. - photo courtesy of Mitch Campbell

As a result, a restriction of 1,000 animals harvested a year has now been placed on the Southampton herd. All of those tags will go to Coral Harbour community members.

Kivalliq biologist Mitch Campbell said there's a Government of Nunavut (GN)-wide blackout on releasing the actual survey numbers.

He said while the GN doesn't want to release the data until a trend analysis is completed, the worst-case scenario going into the survey has turned into reality.

"In the higher density area, where the bulk of the caribou are, the survey has shown a statistically-significant decline from last year and I was not expecting to see that," said Campbell.

"In fact, that shocked me.

"We expected to see a decline, but not such a significant decline."

Noah Kadlak, chair of the Aiviit Hunters and Trappers Organization in Coral Harbour, stated in a press release, "People have been seeing fewer and fewer caribou here in the past few years. On behalf of the community, the HTO board would like to see something done about this before it is too late and there are no caribou left on the island."

Campbell said as per a request from the Coral Harbour HTO, a ministerial management initiative has been put in place to impose a total allowable harvest on the population.

"We're going to be discussing that number further, when we get the final trend analysis finished to see what's going on.

"Then we'll meet with the Coral HTO in August to discuss the 1,000 TAH, assess what that means and look at whether it will have to be adjusted.

"At that time, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board will, probably, be in a position to make an ultimate decision on the TAH.

"The ministerial management initiative is an interim measure because this situation is so serious it can't wait for normal process."

The Southampton herd numbered close to 30,000 as recently as 1997.

That number plummeted to 7,800 by 2011.

Campbell said the GN had operations staff in Coral Harbour this past week with the HTO to work out details on filling in hunter kill returns, putting out tags, etc., in connection to the initiative.

He said the total allowable harvest is wanted by the HTO, and the vast majority of the community, and is necessary for the herd's survival.

"The survey has shown, in fact, the harvest during the past year has been far over the sustainable limits, just as we had predicted it would be.

"We want to make sure the Coral HTO agrees with all of our analysis and, at that point, we'll release the numbers, probably around mid-August.

"It could be too late for this herd because I'm very, very worried the export (of caribou) took a lot of breeding females out of the population.

"The herd could still recover, but that depends on how well the TAH works and I'm worried a few individuals may turn their nose up at the system."

A non-quota limitation (NQL) has also been placed on cows and calves, as well as mature bulls in the Southampton population.

When harvesters bring an animal back that will count against the quota, it should not be a member of a cow/calf pair or a mature bull.

However, NQLs are notoriously difficult to police.

Campbell said Coral Harbour harvesters will be, basically, on the honour system.

He said it's all too easy for someone to kill a cow and its calf, bring back the cow to be counted and insist it didn't have a calf.

"We're going to work really closely with the HTO to try and make this work, and we're going to be realistic about our approach.

"We know the first year is going to be really troublesome, but the end result is going to be the enforcement of the quota.

"We're dealing with human beings and we know there's going to be a breaking-in period, but it will be policed and controlled.

"The goal is that the quota is not exceeded and the NQL is followed."

Campbell said it's his opinion the export of caribou meat from the Island was the main culprit behind the population's dire predicament.

He said the Coral Harbour HTO has been calling for a halt to the export for the past eight months, or so.

"I would say about 80 per cent of the community, plus the HTO, were fully in support of stopping the export and reducing the harvest to try and save the population.

"Our expectation and management goal at that time was to maintain the population at that level.

"We didn't think we needed a restriction and harvest because we thought the sustainable harvest was about the same as what we believed the productivity of the population would be.

"So, at that time, we thought we'd be fine if the export stopped and everyone eased up on mature bulls and calves a little bit, but, unfortunately, that didn't happen!"

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