Fortymile Caribou Harvest Management Plan Signed

Friday, 4 December 2020 11:56

Years of technical and local input supported the herd’s recovery and development of this management plan, led by both governments, the Dawson District Renewable Resources Council and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board.

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Government of Yukon have signed the Fortymile caribou harvest management plan.

The harvest management plan will help guide licensed and subsistence harvest and overall management of the herd. It outlines three main goals for the Fortymile caribou herd:

promote a robust, sustainable population that will maximize herd use of habitats within historic Yukon ranges;
identify a phased approach to implementing harvest given the long history of not harvesting this herd; and
increase knowledge and use of the herd through education and engagement.

This plan was developed in the spirit of wildlife co-management and honors the rights and responsibilities of both parties under the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement. Through this plan, the parties worked together to uphold the principles of respect for each other and the process, for different ways of doing things, for the sacrifices made to get here and for respect for the caribou.

"We are pleased to sign this harvest management plan with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Our governments have been working collaboratively since 2013 to develop this plan, building on the last 25 years of recovery efforts. The harvest management plan will help guide licensed and subsistence harvest and management of the herd moving forward. We are committed to continuing our work with partners to monitor the herd and ensure sustainable harvests into the future." Minister of Environment Pauline Frost

"This plan is long overdue and we’re pleased to finally see it come to life. It’s provides for the harvest management of the herd on this side of the Canada-U.S. border and is a tool which allows our governments to make informed decisions on harvest and habitat based on the herd’s health and population and scientific and traditional knowledge." Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Chief Roberta Joseph

"The community of Dawson has played an integral role in the Fortymile caribou herd’s recovery and now its management. The Dawson District Renewable Resource Council is proud to be a partner with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Environment Yukon and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board in addressing the many challenges facing this herd as we move forward." Dawson District Renewable Resources Council

The Government of Yukon, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board and the Dawson Renewable Resources Council have worked closely with Alaska to recover the Fortymile caribou herd for 25 years. The herd has now recovered to a population that allows for sustainable, managed harvest that is in line with long-term conservation efforts.

The Government of Yukon opened three licensed harvest on Fortymile caribou in 2020, from January to March, from August to September, and a threshold hunt that opened December 1, 2020. Before this, the last licenced harvest on Fortymile caribou was in 1994.

While the Fortymile caribou herd has recovered from a low of 6,500 animals to an estimated 84,000 animals. Continued, long-term monitoring is critical to identify indictors that will guide future harvest management decisions by all parties.

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