Abstract
Information on the native harvest of caribou (Rangifer tarandus spp.) has been systematically collected in the Kitikmeot (Central Arctic) Region of the Northwest Territories since October 1982 through a cooperative effort between the Kitikmeot Hunters and Trappers Association and the Department of Renewable Resources. During the first 2 years of the study about 640 active hunters in 7 communities, or 20% of the Inuit population, were included. Local fieldworkers contacted an average of 80% of all hunters each month. The estimated regional harvest between October 1982 and September 1984 was 18 827±260 (SE) caribou. In the reported harvest (n=12 969), bulls dominated (54%) followed by cows (32%) and juveniles (<15 months old; 14%). The successful hunters harvested on the average 3.5 caribou/hunter/month. When extrapolated over the total Inuit population in the Region, the estimated caribou harvest was equivalent to an annual harvest of 3.1 caribou/person. This harvest level was relatively consistent between communities and years.
Highlights
The importance of documenting native harvesting is becoming increasingly apparent both to wildlife managers and users throughout the North
Distribution plots, based on 1983 data and used to evaluate potential sampling biases, showed that individual hunter harvest rates approximated a normal distribution. This suggests that average hunters were responsible for most of the caribou harvest and not the very active hunters who may be more missed by the fieldworker
The proportion of active hunters (20%) to total Inuit population size in the Kitikmeot Region is similar to the range of 19—21% reported for the Baffin Region (Donaldson, 1984)
Summary
The importance of documenting native harvesting is becoming increasingly apparent both to wildlife managers and users throughout the North. Reliable harvest data are essential for responsible wildlife management and for documenting the economic and cultural importance of wildlife to northern communities. While information on native wildlife harvests in northern Canada has been collected over the last 40 years, the records are only of limited value due to incomplete, or sporadic, coverage in space and time, lack of systematic sampling techniques and inconsistent, or unknown, reporting rates. A system to formalize the collection of native harvest data was first used by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Native Harvesting Research Committee ( JBNQNHRC , 1982). The system was based on a cooperative approach with extensive local involvement by native residents who were hired in each community to conduct periodic field interviews of hunters
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