Quebec to allow caribou herd to die off

[Scott Slough]

Fishy story to me. The most likely cause of decline is predation. Unless they were allowing cows to be harvested hunters are not to blame. Unless the logging was complete clear cutting for hundreds of miles logging is unlikely to be at fault. I mean if there are too few trees the Caribou won’t breed? I understand they have a habitat they prefer. From a Sheep ranchers perspective calves being eaten by wolves sure seems the likely culprit!

The fishy part is trying to apply predation of livestock in Texas to caribou in Canada.

 

[Philip Glass]

The fishy part is trying to apply predation of livestock in Texas to caribou in Canada.

Sorry sir but the principles are all the same. I’ve read stories all my life of biologists wringing their hands about falling populations and discussing the most absurd reasons for it and NEVER mentioning predation! Not saying I have all the answers but I do have one of the answers.
Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

A problem that might exist is an unregulated or poorly regulated native subsistence hunting. Depending on the province, territory, and region, in some parts of Canada, Natives are allowed to harvest certain animal species for subsistence and thus are not subject to quotas, tags etc... Essentially they maybe allowed to harvest however many or few animals they see fit. The total harvest in that area might be determined by the local's needs as opposed to a certain number laid out by a management study etc... Also since the animals taken by the natives are primarily killed for food a decent percentage of that harvest is probably cows.

But I don't think a human overharvest, wolf predation, or logging or another single cause alone is to blame. Its probably a convergence of many causes that have created a "perfect storm" for decimating caribou numbers.

Modern day racism. Brown people can hunt but not white. Oops I’ve opened a can of worms!

 

[Pheroze]

Modern day racism. Brown people can hunt but not white. Oops I’ve opened a can of worms!

It's not quite that - In Canada large tracts of land was never conquered or sold to the crown. The really encouraging thing is that the First Nations want to find a new relationship with the rest of Canada, there is no independence movement that one would expect. My contact with those of their communities who are working for change is always encouraging. A beautiful culture for sure. In the end, they want what we all want - peace and security to raise their kids.

The challenge is finding that balance and that includes wildlife. There is big problem there, no doubt. They claim a right to use the land as they please. However, generations of bad policy, corruption and social decay need to be reversed. And, today is a different day that 100 years ago. There are different pressures on wildlife.

This will not be easy. But, they are not stupid either so I am optimistic.

 

[Dragan N.]

The fishy part is trying to apply predation of livestock in Texas to caribou in Canada.

A good wildlife management policy will also contain good predator management- it is no doubt a crucial and perhaps at times overlooked component. That study which I believe Pheroze referenced earlier in this thread, about Yukon wolves highlights this quite well. If memory serves me right what made that wolf management strategy so successful was that it was long term and encouraged the trapping and hunting of wolves by locals during the hunting/trapping seasons for wolves. It did not make use of methods that involve a large number of wolves being killed in a short period of time, such as aerial hunting or poisoning, but was rather focused on a steady and sustainable harvest of them over the years. The goal of this policy in the Yukon was to manage wolves and their prey not to exterminate or decimate wolf numbers. And as a result all species in the Yukon are benefitting from this.

 

[jeff]

Sorry sir but the principles are all the same. I’ve read stories all my life of biologists wringing their hands about falling populations and discussing the most absurd reasons for it and NEVER mentioning predation! Not saying I have all the answers but I do have one of the answers.
Philip

It's not politically correct to blame predators for any part of a decline , biologists are under a lot pressure to blame everything else. We've seen that in Idaho with the wolves over and over!

 

[Bullthrower338]

It's not politically correct to blame predators for any part of a decline , biologists are under a lot pressure to blame everything else. We've seen that in Idaho with the wolves over and over!

And Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and eastern Arizona.

 

[Philip Glass]

It's not politically correct to blame predators for any part of a decline , biologists are under a lot pressure to blame everything else. We've seen that in Idaho with the wolves over and over!

True