Feb 23 2005 CBC News YELLOWKNIFE -
A new plan to regulate hunting of the Bathurst caribou herd is drawing fire in the Northwest Territories legislature. Bathurst caribou are dwindling, according to a report released by the N.W.T. government LINK: Bathurst Caribou Herd (GNWT) Regular MLAs say the government is mishandling caribou management by ignoring the big picture. They worry the government may use flawed statistics to justify taking away the rights of non-aboriginal hunters to kill caribou. Moreover, they say no non-aboriginal outfitters and hunters were consulted in putting the plan together. That plan came out last week, when the government released its management strategy for the herd – one of eight caribou herds in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The report suggests the Bathurst herd is half the size it was 10 years ago, and it recommends that if the number continues to drop, limits should be put on how many animals are taken by non-aboriginal hunters. Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay asked how the government can be so sure the Bathurst herd is in trouble, and how it intends to protect the Bathurst herd from hunters when it mingles with other herds during hunting season. "The management plan is misleading people, and I'd like to suggest it be shelved," he said. Ramsay says the government should wait until it gets a more accurate idea of the health of all caribou herds before it starts taking away hunting rights. "I'm just wondering how we might manage these herds when, if you're out on a lake north of Yellowknife, you could in fact be shooting a Bathurst caribou or a Ahiak caribou," he said. "And unless you're doing DNA sampling, how are you going to know which animals you're harvesting? Is the minister saying that, you know, hunters and harvesters are going to have to take DNA samples from caribou?" Resources Minister Brendan Bell stands by the plan, saying it represents four years of scientific study. "I'm sure the member is being facetious when he suggests DNA sampling," Bell said. "I think we would work with outfitters to come up with a plan that makes sense and isn't ridiculous. I think it makes sense that we seek to effectively manage these animals." Bell did commit to meeting with non-aboriginal hunters and outfitters before the government imposes any new rules on caribou hunting. .