An interim emergency hunting ban currently in effect has outraged Dene leaders, as well as hunters and outfitters, who have relied on caribou for generations. (CBC)

A weeklong hearing exploring how to manage the Bathurst caribou herd took a surprise turn on Friday, when the Tlicho aboriginal government asked for more time to resolve its disagreements with the N.W.T. government.

The Tlicho and territorial governments have jointly drafted a management plan for the herd, which spends its winters on Tlicho territory.

Territorial government biologists say the herd has been sharply declining in numbers in recent years, from about 128,000 caribou in 2006 to 31,900 animals last year.

The Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board, a wildlife co-management authority set up under the Tlicho land-claim agreement, is reviewing the joint management plan and held public hearings all this week in Behchoko, N.W.T.

The board was supposed to make a recommendation in April. But as the hearings wrapped up on Friday, Tlicho officials asked the board to postpone that decision so both governments can negotiate a better plan.

"When it was time to report to you, the board, on a joint proposal, you received an incomplete proposal," Arthur Pape, the lawyer representing the Tlicho government, told the board.

"There are some important agreements in that proposal, but there are some very substantial disagreements that were not resolved."

The board has adjourned the matter until May 31, at which time Pape said the Tlicho and the N.W.T. Environment and Natural Resources Department hope to agree on a plan.

Disagree on hunting restrictions

Both governments have been at odds over proposed long-term hunting restrictions for the Bathurst caribou herd. An interim hunting ban currently in place has outraged Dene leaders and hunters who have long relied on caribou.

Among the numerous experts and intervenors who appeared before the Wek'eezhii board this week was N.W.T. hunting outfitter Amanda Peterson, who spoke of how much caribou mean to her family's business.

"All outfitters, including our family business, find ourselves in a position where our livelihood may be taken away from us," she told the board on Thursday.

Peterson said the number of caribou being taken by outfitters is not enough to affect the herd's future, but wiping out the entire outfitting industry would have a severe impact on the N.W.T.'s economy.

Peterson called for a limited hunting quota on Bathurst caribou until the herd recovers, as opposed to a ban.

Plan's outcome unclear: expert

Much of the discussions during the Wek'eezhii hearings centered on aboriginal hunting restrictions. Many critics also questioned the N.W.T. government's scientific methods for determining the caribou herd's population.

Earlier in the week, retired N.W.T. caribou biologist Anne Gunn told the board that it's unclear whether the joint management plan currently being proposed would fully work.

Gunn, who addressed the board as an independent expert, said part of the joint management plan is based on assumptions about the herd, adding that better long-term research is required.

As for the plan overall, Gunn said it "will have a high likelihood, through increasing adult survival, of halting the decline."

At the same time, Gunn said its "role in rapid recovery, which is necessary to buffer years of bad weather, is risky and is uncertain."

Gunn said monitoring the herd using the same methods that allowed to population to shrink so much would be a major mistake.

As well, she said understanding why the herd's numbers have dropped is important in crafting solutions.

In addition to considering hunting as an issue, she said more should be done to understand the impacts of predators and changing weather on caribou.

Nunavut delegation listening

While many of the presenters at this week's hearings came from the N.W.T., a delegation from neighbouring Nunavut has been in Behchoko to listen to what people are saying.

The delegation includes an Inuit elder, a representative from the Kitikmeot-area hunters and trappers associations and a Nunavut government official.

"Western Kitikmeot [Inuit] will be affected by the decisions that are made here," said Attima Hadlari, the representaive for the hunters' associations.

Caribou migrate great distances, often crossing territorial boundaries, so the N.W.T. board's recommendations could have far-reaching implications.

Those implications could be more severe if the board recommends neighbouring jurisdictions like Nunavut share their caribou herds with the affected N.W.T. hunters.