Mr. Speaker, Return to Written Question 1-12(7), asked by Mr. Arvaluk and responded to by the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, concerning Southampton Island caribou herd.
On November 14th, the Member for Aivilik asked the Premier if the Southampton herd would be reduced enough in the spring to deal with the conservation requirements for good herd management. The Department of Renewable Resources has advanced a plan for management of the Southampton caribou herd that would call for the harvesting of 4,500 animals per year, of which 1,000 would be for local subsistence over the next several years. The departments of Economic Development and Tourism and Renewable Resources are organizing a spring commercial hunt which will certainly alleviate some of the pressure being exerted by the herd.
Current plans call for 2,000 animals to be taken for commercial purposes this spring, commencing March 10th and continuing through to April 24th. Once the logistical challenges of an operation of this magnitude have been addressed, it is quite possible that some future harvest activities will be conducted in the fall, from early November through to the beginning of December, when there is sufficient snow cover.
The Department of Renewable Resources will be conducting herd surveys this summer, and information gained from these surveys will be used to further evaluate the necessary harvest numbers.