I am sad about this but hope it will come back eventually.
Québec City, December 21, 2016 – Luc Blanchette, Québec's Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, has announced that sport hunting of migratory caribou will be closed in Québec as from February 1, 2018, for an undetermined period, in order to foster the sustainability of the species.
Sport hunting of the George River herd was closed in 2012 due to the significant decline in numbers. Since then, the Leaf River herd has been the only one to sustain sport hunting and Aboriginal harvesting in Québec. According to an inventory carried out in the summer of 2016, Leaf River numbers have also continued to decline and the herd now comprises less than 199,000 animals.
"The situation of the Leaf River caribou herd is worrying," said Minister Blanchette. "Our Government therefore has the responsibility to apply management measures that will foster the sustainability of a species of considerable importance to Northern ecosystems and Aboriginal communities in Québec."
A Government inter-ministerial committee will also be set up to assess the main social and economic consequences of the declining migratory caribou population in Northern Québec, and propose mitigation measures. The committee will consult the partners likely to be affected by future decision, through task forces.
The Québec Government will work closely with the federal government and the government of Newfoundland-and-Labrador to promote the sustainability of caribou populations in Ungava. It will also continue to monitor the herds and will continue to work closely with the Caribou Ungava research group on its ongoing studies of migratory caribou.
The Cree, Inuit and Naskapi nations will also monitor their own harvests, in accordance with their undertakings. Their contribution is vital in gathering the data needed to ensure sound herd management in the coming years.
The Leaf River herd management plan is currently being prepared in collaboration with the Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Coordinating Committee, and the main wildlife management partners should be consulted during the process.
Québec City, December 21, 2016 – Luc Blanchette, Québec's Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, has announced that sport hunting of migratory caribou will be closed in Québec as from February 1, 2018, for an undetermined period, in order to foster the sustainability of the species.
Sport hunting of the George River herd was closed in 2012 due to the significant decline in numbers. Since then, the Leaf River herd has been the only one to sustain sport hunting and Aboriginal harvesting in Québec. According to an inventory carried out in the summer of 2016, Leaf River numbers have also continued to decline and the herd now comprises less than 199,000 animals.
"The situation of the Leaf River caribou herd is worrying," said Minister Blanchette. "Our Government therefore has the responsibility to apply management measures that will foster the sustainability of a species of considerable importance to Northern ecosystems and Aboriginal communities in Québec."
A Government inter-ministerial committee will also be set up to assess the main social and economic consequences of the declining migratory caribou population in Northern Québec, and propose mitigation measures. The committee will consult the partners likely to be affected by future decision, through task forces.
The Québec Government will work closely with the federal government and the government of Newfoundland-and-Labrador to promote the sustainability of caribou populations in Ungava. It will also continue to monitor the herds and will continue to work closely with the Caribou Ungava research group on its ongoing studies of migratory caribou.
The Cree, Inuit and Naskapi nations will also monitor their own harvests, in accordance with their undertakings. Their contribution is vital in gathering the data needed to ensure sound herd management in the coming years.
The Leaf River herd management plan is currently being prepared in collaboration with the Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Coordinating Committee, and the main wildlife management partners should be consulted during the process.
