Gwich'in step up measures to protect Porcupine herd

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 | 9:40 AM CT

CBC News

The Tetlit Gwich'in are concerned Inuvialuit hunters are putting pressure on the Porcupine caribou herd because the Cape Bathurst and Bluenose herds the Inuvialuit usually hunt are in steep decline.

The Fort McPherson-based Gwich'in depend heavily on the 110,000-Porcupine herd that spends the fall and winter in the Dempster Highway area of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Recent surveys of the Cape Bathurst and Bluenose herds in the western Arctic show a dramatic drop in numbers. Hunters have been asked to cut back on the number of animals they take.

Voluntarily ban ignored

When the Gwich'in learned about the caribou shortages in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, they decided to impose a six-week voluntary ban on hunting the Porcupine herd along the highway corridor to give the herd's leaders a chance to cross.

However, Fort McPherson elder Robert Alexie Sr. says despite the ban he's seen dozens of hunters along the highway. Many were Inuvialuit who, he believes, are taking more than their fair share.

"It's OK if they have respect for the land, but making three trips? One guy? What is he making three trips for?" said Alexie.

"So, this is not allowed. This is a big concern up here, right now."

Herd size a big concern

Gwich'in Tribal Council resource manager Norman Snowshoe says the Porcupine herd could also be jeopardized if there is too much hunting by the Inuvialuit.

"Based on the numbers of other herds and some of the drastic numbers we're getting, there is a big concern about the numbers," said Snowshoe. "The Porcupine herd, because we haven't had a census since 2001, …we really don't know what's out there."

Gwich'in organizations are trying to figure out how to share the Porcupine herd with their northern neighbours without putting it at risk.