Board seeks public input
October 2005
Part of the work of the Porcupine Caribou Management Board (PCMB) is to make hunting regulation recommendations to the Minister of Environment for Yukon and NWT.
New Dempster Highway caribou hunting regulations were adopted in 1999 after many years of community consultation. These regulations were to be reviewed after 3 years.
The Board has long understood that some of these regulations have been unpopular. The regulations need to be revisited periodically to make sure they are effective and relevant.
Over the years, the Board has received much feedback from individuals and user groups in community meetings.
In addition, individual Board members have had numerous formal and informal discussions with individuals and representatives of interested organizations.
The Board is comprised of members who represent the governments of Canada, Yukon and Northwest Territories as well as the First Nations in the range of the Porcupine Caribou herd.
Thus, in Board meetings, the members bring forward the concerns of their sponsoring organizations and their communities.
After numerous discussions among Board members about input they've received regarding the Dempster Highway regulations, the Board has identified three key regulatory issues to address.
These issues are outlined below, followed by proposed recommendations to the Yukon and NWT minister, and the Board is now inviting public feedback on these matters.
The Board will review these recommendations based on this final phase of consultation before making its submission to the ministers.
The first issue relates to the hunting season. The population of the herd has clearly demonstrated a slow but steady decline. The current hunting season for Yukon resident and non-resident hunters is six months which is inconsistent with the growing conservation concerns for the herd due to the continued population decline.
Therefore, the Board proposes to recommend that Government of Yukon and Government of Northwest Territories limit the hunting season of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH) by resident hunters in the NWT and resident and non resident hunters in the Yukon to a three-month period when the herd is within the Dempster Highway subzones.
This proposal is not intended to limit the hunting of other herds that use these same subzones. The most appropriate time to implement the three-month season should be determined by the territorial governments.
The majority of the resident harvest occurs in the first six weeks after the herd arrives on the Dempster Highway (approximately the end of October to mid-November on the Yukon side and mid-September to the end of October on the NWT side). Therefore, the season should be timed to coincide with the accessibility of the herd.
Yukon outfitters harvest other caribou within the range of the PCH prior to September 15. The intent is not to reduce their allowable harvest.
The second issue relates to the 500-metre no-hunting corridor along the Dempster Highway. The Board recognizes that the 500-metre corridor is not supported by the user communities most affected, and that the current corridor exists in areas and at times when there are no safety issues. However, there are still safety concerns in three areas during the highly active hunting periods.
There is also concern about over-regulation that might unduly restrict aboriginal hunting rights at times and in areas where there are minimal safety concerns.
The Board proposes to recommend that Government of Yukon maintain the 500-metre no caribou hunting corridor that would be applicable to all hunters (either side of the Dempster Highway) within three key areas: Blackstone (km 68 to km 129.5), Horseshoe (km 255 to 286), and Arctic Circle (km 389.5 to km 465). These areas total about 151 km, and the Dempster Highway runs through approximately 400 km of the herd's winter range in the Yukon.
The existing corridor should be removed in the remaining areas outside of the three areas noted above. In addition, the corridor in the three key areas should only be in effect from October 1 to November 30.
The third issue concerns hunter safety along the Dempster. The Board proposes to recommend that the governments of Yukon and Northwest Territories should enforce mandatory use of blaze orange safety vests or jackets by all hunters to elevate their awareness of others in the area.
The intent is to phase out the 500-metre corridor completely if and when the safety issues are addressed, through utilization of safety clothing and a comprehensive educational plan the Board is working on.
The PCMB must be satisfied that the safety issues are addressed prior to making any recommendations to that effect to the Minister. The PCMB will review the safety issues on an annual basis.
The Board also proposes three non-regulatory recommendations to the ministers for Yukon and Government of Northwest Territories.
The first proposed recommendation is that they should initiate discussions, develop and execute educational programs incorporating traditional knowledge and cultural values in partnership with all relevant governments and user groups.
The second proposal is that they develop programs to reduce harassment of caribou from snow machines used while hunting.
The last proposed non-regulatory recommendation is that they encourage a voluntary hunting ban of mature bulls from October 10th until November 1st each year to reduce the possibility of meat wastage from bulls taken during and soon after the rut.
The Board's preference is not to regulate, but instead to educate.
It is anticipated that the comprehensive educational plan and the use of safety clothing will alleviate most safety concerns along the Dempster Highway.
These proposed recommendations of the PCMB arise from the Board's consultation with the herd's user communities.
The Board is now seeking input from the broader Yukon public to ensure they will achieve the desired goals without leading to unforeseen consequences.
Interested individuals or organizations can provide written comments to the PCMB.
In addition, there will be a public information and feedback session about the proposed regulation changes on Tuesday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m. in the Yukon Inn Fireside Meeting Room in Whitehorse.
After the public meeting, the Board will review written and verbal submissions and then prepare and submit its recommendations to the ministers.
These recommendations are not binding; the ministers have the ultimate authority to accept them, reject them, or modify them. Any recommendations adopted by the ministers will be subject to review in the future.
If you would like more information or if you would like to prepare a submission, please contact our office.
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