Baffin caribou harvest now closed, says Environment Department

Total allowable harvest of 350 caribou reached, additional harvesting is violation of Nunavut Wildlife Act

The Baffin Island caribou harvest is closed effective immediately after the total allowable harvest of 350 caribou was reached, the Environment Department announced Friday. (Photo by Jason Sudlovenick, special to Nunatsiaq News)

By Nunatsiaq News

The Baffin Island caribou harvest for 2022-2023 is closed effective immediately, the Government of Nunavut announced Friday.

No further harvesting is allowed because the total allowable harvest of 350 caribou has been reached, Environment Department spokesperson Lekan Thomas said in a statement.

The total allowable harvest was established by the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board to support recovery of the Baffin Island caribou population.

“It is a critical piece in the co-management efforts to allow the herd to recover and provide harvesting opportunities for future generations,” Thomas said.

Any remaining tags are immediately void and are to be returned to the local wildlife office or hunters and trappers organization, Thomas said.

Any additional harvesting of the Baffin Island caribou during the 2022-2023 season is not allowed under the Nunavut Wildlife Act. Violations will be investigated and may lead to enforcement action, Thomas added.

 

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(8) Comments:

  1. Posted by delbert on

    For a culture that holds its land and the animals that inhabit that land. All most as sacred indemnities. Find themselves in position of limiting and closing the hunting of Caribou. The one animal that’s been a constant food source. For thousands of years.
    It seems that all the Caribou herds all over. The north are under pressure.
    What is the reason for this.? What has happened to the abundance of these animals?
    Is it the same in other territories with their Caribou Herds?

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    • Posted by JOHNNY on

      It s due to over killing, order of the day is blame the minning companies

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      • Posted by Will Hunting on

        Will Baffin now be knocking on Kivalliq doors, asking them (Kivalliq) to over kill and sell them the meat to near extinction like they have??

  2. Posted by Harvester on

    Finally closed as most northern baffin has been harvesting all winter long,

    South baffin should start harvesting the northern tags this next season when opens again….

    Wait and see harvester

  3. Posted by Bob Lee on

    Kill and eat, just don’t let wildlife officer know.

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  4. Posted by 867 on

    Wildlife officers need to set an example and start charging poachers with the full extent of the law. Selfish people not thinking about next generations only wanna make a quick buck to support their bad habits

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    • Posted by Baffin on

      I don’t think we the Baffinmiut don’t sell the caribou meat because we have limited tags and our caribou are much taste better than else where. That’s why western Nunavut people selling more meat to baffin region. They are the ones who are money hunger. ?

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  5. Posted by Hunter on

    All caribou herds are seeing a decline across Canada.

    Mining, hydro projects, increased wolf populations, over hunting, disease, climate and environmental changes, predation by other animals all play a factor in the decline of caribou populations across Canada. Not one is solely to blame.

    Increased wolf hunts, limiting mine traffic, exploration, hydro projects and of course establishing healthy harvesting limits on caribou populations is a must so that caribou are still around for future generations.

    Selling caribou to Baffin from central and western Nunavut must be stopped, the commercial sale of caribou must be stopped. Just look at what the commercial harvest and sale of caribou and disease has done to the caribou herd on South Hampton Island. The Island has no mines, no hydro or wolf population issues like the main land, just disease and harvesting….not to mention liken what caribou eat is one of the slowest growing plants in the world.

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