Northwest Territories Board Considers Whether Tłı̨chǫ Should Be Able to Increase Caribou Harvest

The Wek’èezhìı Renewable Energy Council is set to decide whether Tłı̨chǫ residents should be allowed to hunt more eastern caribou.

In 2019, the total allowable catch for this herd in the Tłı̨chǫ region was 193 caribou, but the proposed new co-management plan calls for management to increase that number to 395.

The proposed plan was developed by the territorial authorities and Tłı̨chǫ.

Jody Pellissey, the board’s executive director, said there had been a “significant increase” in herd numbers since 2023.

“We’ve continued to see declines in the herd in 2022 and, you know, we haven’t really seen a recovery, and that’s exactly what we’re hoping to achieve with the management program that we’re implementing,” Pellissey said.

In March, the Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization presented a recommendation to Nunavut Wildlife Management to increase the total allowable harvest of Bluenose-East caribou from 170 to 450.

This recommendation was approved and sent to the Government of Nunavut for a final decision.

A 2023 survey by the Northwest Territories government estimated the Bluenose-East herd population at approximately 39,525 individuals, up from the 2021 estimate of 23,200 individuals.

Pellissey said the board is conducting a Level 1 review, which is a review by board and staff and then a decision is made.

“We want to hear public opinion and invite anyone who would like to participate, fully participate, in these proceedings,” she said.

The Board also created a public register.

“We know that they have agreed on what is being presented and that nobody is trying to, you know, make a decision that the other person is not interested in,” Pellissey said. “Co-management, in our view, is always about all the stakeholders working together.”

The last time the total allowable yield was increased in the Tłı̨chǫ region was in 2019.

Pellissey said that while the caribou population is growing, management also needs to consider how that affects fishing.

“Should we be cautious because this is the first real increase we’ve seen in the herd in many years? Is this really a recovery? Should management increase it?” she said.

“There are a lot of moving parts and determining whether this increase in yield should be considered or not, whether we should be cautious, that is the main question that the board is considering.”

Pellissey also noted that caribou population declines and recoveries are based on “more than one thing.”

“If we knew what was causing the decline in caribou herds, we would all be shouting, ‘Hooray!’ and maybe we could fix it,” she said. “It’s all the cumulative effects of so many factors. Herd biology, predators, harvest, development, climate change, of course.”

The deadline for public comments on the proposed plan is Monday.