Kugluktuk caribou harvest closes for the season
Hunters will have to wait until July 1 when harvesting opens again
Hunters in Kugluktuk will have to wait until July 1 for the new Dolphin Union caribou hunting season to begin. (File photo)
Kugluktuk’s Dolphin and Union caribou harvest is closed until July 1, the Department of Environment announced Thursday.
The total allowable harvest of 105 caribou for the 2023-24 season has been reached and no more harvesting is permitted, effectively immediately, according to a news release.
Harvesters who still have tags are being asked to return them to the local wildlife office or hunters and trappers organization, as they are now void.
“Violations will be investigated and may lead to enforcement action” under the Nunavut Wildlife Act, the release said.
The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board established harvesting limits to support the recovery of Dolphin and Union caribou population.
In 2016, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada added the Dolphin and Union caribou herd to the endangered species list.
The initial harvesting limit of 42 was raised to the current 105 in 2021.
In 1997, the population was estimated to be just under 35,000 but by 2020 it had declined to 3,800, according to a 2020 Nunavut Department of Environment report.
Time to contact , one of your Facebook friends in another region and order up some fresh meat.
Don’t worry, Mr. roll up will save you.
It will take more than just a two or three month closure to save our caribou.