Tłı̨chǫ Government urging harvesters to help track caribou populations

The Tłı̨chǫ Government is asking for help from harvesters to keep track of caribou populations along the Tlicho Highway.

As various caribou herds continue to encounter hardships, both natural and man-made, the Tłı̨chǫ government wants to make sure that their populations are kept at a level that can still be replenished. To that end, they are encouraging hunters and harvesters to fully record and submit records of any game they manage to kill while out in the wilds.

“We have a form online that people can fill out if they harvest a moose or a caribou on or around Highway 9, which is the highway to Whati. We’re trying to get people to report their harvest so that we can keep an eye on the harvest of caribou and moose and try to determine if too many animals are being taken.” Said Tyanna Steinwand, the Manager of Research Operations and Training at the Dedats’eetsaa: Tłı̨chǫ Research and Training Institute.

She went on to explain that caribou are sighted along the Tłı̨chǫ Highway at least once a week, and that it is a fairly common area for them to pass through. Thanks to collars put on the animals by the GNWT, Steinwand estimates that there are around three hundred Boreal caribou in the area.

She adds that while the program has been run in previous years, it hasn’t had the effect that the Tłı̨chǫ Government has been hoping for.

“We only had very few harvests that were reported. It could be because people are not harvesting, or it could be that maybe people just don’t want to report their harvest.”

“I think what we’re most interested in is, what did you harvest, and where and when. We’re just trying to determine if there’s a sustainable harvest and to make sure that not too many animals are being taken. Especially since it’s a relatively new highway, so we are kind of worried that the new access might increase harvesting. We just want to keep an eye on that.”

The online form can be found here.