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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Preliminary numbers are in from this past summer's barrenground caribou survey and the population of most herds has increased since 2009, at least slightly.

The best news came from the Bathurst caribou herd, which tends to winter near Yellowknife. After a consistent and dramatic decline in population from nearly a half-million animals in the mid-1980s, down to less than 32,000 caribou in 2006, the most recent numbers show that the population of the herd has stabilized and the population count is now up to 35,000, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger announced in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

"While the halting of this decline is good news, we are not out of the woods yet," said Miltenberger. "The overall size of this herd remains very low. In addition, the number of breeding females has not increased and there has been poor calf recruitment for the past two years."

After looking at the preliminary numbers on the Bathurst herd population, the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board recommended that current harvest practices remain in effect for the 2012-13 hunting season. Under the current model, Tlicho and Yellowknives Dene First Nation members are given 150 caribou tags each.

"At this point, we're unable to say any more than that the harvest will remain where it is for the time being until there are new proposed management actions," Wek'eezhii executive director Jody Snortland Pellissey told Yellowknifer on Wednesday.

The board is now looking to receive a management proposal from the GNWT and the Tlicho government, she said. Once a proposal is provided, the board will make recommendations on the best way to move forward when it comes to managing the Bathurst herd.

"The board is encouraged by these survey results," said Snortland Pellissey. "It seems that the herd is stabilizing and the board continues to commend the Tlicho and the other management groups on limiting their harvest and help in the recovery of the herd."

Although weather conditions prevented biologists from completing a survey on the Bluenose-East herd this past summer, the population is estimated to be about 100,000 animals, Miltenberger said Tuesday.

This estimate was reached after looking at the results from the 2010 calving and post-calving surveys, he said.

This increase of population in the Bluenose-East herd has allowed discussions to begin about an unrestricted aboriginal harvest on the herd and there is a possibility that a limited resident harvest will also be considered, said Miltenberger.

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