Torngat Mountains Caribou - cccpp-hftcc. · PDF fileAaron Dale, Torngat Secretariat and Eric...

Aaron Dale, Torngat Secretariat

and

Eric Andersen, Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-

Management Board

and

Serge Couturier, Ph.D., caribou biologist

Collaborators: Bryn Wood and Jennifer Mitchell Foley

Torngat Mountains Caribou

Overview

• What’s been done

• What we know

• What we think

• What we don’t know

• How we plan to learn

• What we can do

• What we should do

• Caribou herds overlap partially their annual range in Québec-Labrador

Peninsula like elsewhere in North America.

• Migratory caribou herds are distinct biological units.

- Use of traditional calving grounds over centuries.

ex. George River herd existence has been confirmed for the

last 2 centuries from oral tradition and written documents.

• Limited emigration have been reported between caribou herds:

ex. 9% of George River females switched calving grounds with

Leaf River herd from 1986 to 2003 (Boulet et al. 2007)

Some caribou ecology concepts

and management implications

• The ecotype concept was first used by Bergerud (1988):

- migratory: use tundra and boreal forest, long migration

- sedentary: use only boreal forest, short migration

• Another ecotype has been identified:

- montane: use alpine habitat, short migration. Ex. Gaspésie and Torngat

What’s Been Done

2. Space use and annual range

3. Genetic difference

• Is Torngat caribou different from the sedentary caribou living in

Southern Labrador and Québec?

4. Body size

5. Movement

Scientific monitoring since the 1970s:

1. Reconnaissance surveys

• Is Torngat caribou different from George River caribou?

• Le Henaff (1975) did the first aerial survey of the Torngat caribou herd

- “From Port Nouveau Québec to Abloviak Fjord... small groups of

caribou on all islands and near the coast of Ungava Bay...”

What’s Been Done

- 1. Reconnaissance Survey

• Bélanger and Le Henaff (1985) wrote about the Torngat caribou: - “In 1980, a reconnaissance survey indicated that the herd contained approximately 5,000 individuals. Although little information is available, it would seem that a group other than that of the George River is involved here.”

What’s Been Done

- 1. Reconnaissance Survey

Source: Boulet et al. 2007

What’s Been Done

- 2. Space use and annual range

1986-2003

What’s Been Done


• Stuart Luttich from LWD did the first radio-tracking of the Torngat caribou

- 8 collars have been deployed opportunistically from 1988 to 1995

Mean: 732 days Low survival!

No Age/ Sex Capture Death

Number

of days

Cause of

death

TG8801 Adult female 9/11/1988 2/3/1992 1209 Wolf


TG9002 Adult female 7/11/1990 19/1/1991 73 Inuit hunting

TG9101 Adult female 14/5/1991 20/6/1991 37 Black bear


TG9103 Adult female 20/5/1991 12/6/1995 1484 ?

TG9104 Adult female 19/6/1991 16/8/1997 2250 ?

TG9301 Adult female 27/6/1993 28/7/1993 31 ?


What’s Been Done


What’s Been Done


Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998


What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done


What’s Been Done


Study done by Québec Government and Makivik

March 1997

• Study goals: Confirm the distinctiveness of the Torngat Herd

• Following a request by the mayor, an emergency meeting was held

in February 1997 with local representatives and hunters from

Kangiqsualujjuaq:

- Radio-collaring project was rapidly approved

• Commercial harvest in Kangiqsualujjuaq by Nunavik Arctic Foods:

- 1994-1995: 25 caribou

- 1995-1996: 689 caribou

• Fears were expressed that the commercial harvest did not target the

large George River herd as planned but instead the small Torngat

herd.

Study done by Québec Government and Makivik

March 1997 to 1999 • Due to limited funding and urgency to proceed, only 4 radio-

collars were deployed on adult female caribou (a fifth collar was

stolen by dogs during pre-deployment test)

Mean: 338 days


Number

of days

Cause of

death

97031301 Adult Female 22/3/1997 7/9/1997 169 Inuit hunting

97031302 Adult Female 22/3/1997 5/5/1998 409 Inuit hunting

97031303 Adult Female 25/3/1997 10/5/1997 46 Black bear

97031304 Adult Female 25/3/1997 21/3/1999 726 Wolf

Very low survival!

What’s Been Done


What’s Been Done


Source: Couturier, S., unpubl. data, Québec Gov. & Makivik

What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done


Source: unpubl. data

• Radio-collaring project: Qc Gov., NF & L Gov. and Torngat Secretariat

- 10 collars have been deployed in March and April 2011

Mean: 337 days

(5 still alive) Very low survival!


Number

of days

Cause of

death

2011015 Adult female 22/3/2011 13/7/2012 479 Alive

2011016 Adult male 22/3/2011 4/7/2012 470 Dead: cause?


2011018 Adult male 22/3/2011 6/9/2011 168 Inuit hunting



2011021 Adult female 22/3/2011 2/11/2011 225 Dead: cause?




What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done



What’s Been Done

- 3. Genetic difference

Source: Boulet et al. 2005, 2007

Lac

JosMealy

Red

WineJam�sie Torngat

Leaf

River

George

River

Lac Jos 0,028 0,018 0,029 0,017 0,017 0,015

Mealy 0,037 0,048 0,040 0,038 0,025

Red Wine 0,042 0,022 0,029 0,021

Jam�sie 0,027 0,032 0,026

Torngat 0,005 0,001

Leaf River = 0,002

George River = =

Conclusion:

1. Torngat is genetically different from the 4 sedentary herds

2. Torngat is NOT genetically different from the 2 migratory herds

What’s Been Done

- 4. Body size

Source: Couturier et al. 2010

Ecotype Herd Hindleg Girth Body length

Migratory

George (n=344) 55.6 114.0 186.6

Leaf (n=104) 55.6 108.6 184.2

Montane

Torngat (n=14) 53.6 122.4 200.3

Sedentary

Mealy (n=27) 59.6 123.5 208.1

Red Wine (n=42) 60.6 124.2 209.2

Lac Jos (n=38) 61.6 117.3 205.6

Jamésie (n=24) 61.5 119.9 200.9

Conclusion:

1. Torngat is different in size and shape from the 2 other ecotypes.

What’s Been Done

- 5. Movements

Source: Couturier et al. 2010

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Leaf George Torngat Red Wine Lac Jos

Movem

en

t (km

/day)

Winter

Rest of the year

Daily movement rate of adult females by herd and season

What’s Been Done

- Discussions and planning since 2009

What We Know

• Torngat Caribou are different than other caribou

• Torngat caribou are hunted

• Torngat Caribou are regionally important for food security

• People are concerned that there are fewer than there were

• Torngat Caribou share range with George River Caribou

• Where they were

• Where they are

What We Think

• Mortality is high

• Predation is high

• Similar drivers as George and Leaf

• Distribution is changing

• Smaller group sizes

• Fewer stags

• The population is declining and very low

What We Don’t Know

• How many there are

• How many there were

• How many are hunted

• Where they are hunted

• Calf survival

• Adult mortality

• Body condition

• Pregnancy rate

How we hope to Learn

• Through partnership

• Telemetry

• Survey

• Harvest survey and harvest returns

• Traditional knowledge

What we can do

• Nothing

• Delay action

• Take Action

– Predator control program, and/or;

– Stewardship and education, and/or;

– Restrict or redistribute harvest pressure through:

a) A Total Allowable Harvest b) Sex Selection

c) Closed Areas d) Gear Restrictions

e) Closed Seasons

f) Trip Limits

g) Other

What we should do

Conservation:

“the management of Wildlife, including the management of human activities in relation to them,

to foster Sustainable Utilization and maintenance of natural populations, biodiversity and

ecological processes.” (Part 12.1, Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement)

Precautionary Principle:

“if there are threats of serious or irreversible damage to Wildlife, measures to prevent the

reduction or loss of the Wildlife should not be postponed for lack of full scientific certainty.”

(Part 12.1, Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement)

Thank You

Date post:	31-Jan-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	trinhlien
View:	220 times
Download:	1 times

Torngat Mountains Caribou - cccpp-hftcc. · PDF fileAaron Dale, Torngat Secretariat and Eric...

Documents