The most recent N.W.T. government survey of the Bathurst caribou herd showed a decline from about 128,000 caribou in 2006 to an estimated 31,900 animals in 2009. (CBC)

A new plan to help the imperiled Bathurst caribou herd in the Northwest Territories proposes lifting an existing hunting ban for aboriginal hunters, while still limiting the number of caribou that can be taken.

The N.W.T. government and the Tlicho aboriginal government have jointly agreed to the plan, which recommends that a total hunting ban stay put for non-aboriginal hunters and commercial hunting outfitters.

The proposed plan, details of which were released Tuesday, has to be approved by the Wek'weezhi Renewable Resources Board before it can be implemented.

The board is a wildlife co-management authority established under the Tlicho Dene land claim. The board is responsible for managing wildlife in the area where the current caribou hunting ban is in place.

Since Jan. 1, all N.W.T. hunters — including aboriginal subsistence hunters — have been banned from hunting Bathurst caribou in the herd's winter range, stretching north of Great Slave Lake to the Nunavut border.

The ban was imposed amid concerns about the Bathurst herd, which the territorial government believes has shrunk sharply in recent years.

Ban angered Dene hunters

A ban on hunting the Bathurst caribou herd has been in effect since Jan.1, in an area encompassing the herd's winter range north of Great Slave Lake. (CBC)

The latest government survey of the herd showed a decline from about 128,000 caribou in 2006 to an estimated 31,900 animals in 2009.

But the total hunting ban enraged Dene in affected communities, since Dene have long relied on caribou meat in the winter.

The N.W.T. and Tlicho governments have been trying to work out a plan that would not only ensure the survival of the Bathurst herd, but also that of the neighbouring Bluenose East caribou herd.

In the past, both sides had agreed on some things but were unable to agree on how best to manage the aboriginal subsistence hunt.

Under the new plan, the governments are proposing to restrict the aboriginal harvest to 300 caribou a year, about 80 per cent of which would be bulls.

Biologists have said the herd cannot recover quickly enough from a hunt of more than 300 animals a year.

Details of reduced harvest unclear

However, the proposal does not specify whether the 300 caribou limit would be divided among N.W.T. communities or First Nations, or how government officials would keep track of how many animals are harvested.

The proposed plan also recommends a 45 per cent reduction in the number of caribou that can be harvested from the Bluenose East herd.

As well, the plan calls for a doubling in the number of wolves that can be killed, to relieve the risk predators pose to the caribou. It proposes raising the wolf harvest from 40 wolves to at least 80, with the help of incentives such as higher prices for wolf pelts and carcasses.

The governments' proposal acknowledges the importance of caribou to the Tlicho people, and urges aboriginal communities to take the lead on managing and monitoring the caribou harvest.

Late on Tuesday, the Wek'weezhi Renewable Resources Board indicated that it will decide whether to accept the governments' joint proposal next week.

The board is scheduled to meet in Yellowknife on June 8 and 9.

In the meantime, the territorial government's ban on hunting caribou from the Bathurst herd remains in place.