Deline, N.W.T., caribou management draws on traditional knowledge

The chief of Deline says the community's Bluenose-East caribou plan relies on traditional laws that govern people's relationship with the caribou.

"We all agree that the numbers are declining," says Leonard Kenny, the community's chief. "We have to start hunting like our forefathers, they only took what they needed."

Deline recently submitted its management plan to The Sahtu Renewable Resources Board. The community is traditionally the primary harvester for Bluenose-East caribou in the Sahtu region. Kenny says that's why, "in this plan we decided that Deline would take 150 caribou."

The N.W.T. government also put forward a plan for managing the caribou. It wants the Sahtu region's five communities to limit themselves to 163 animals.

Deline's plan — translated in English as 'caribou for all time' — also includes traditional knowledge and elders' stories to help community members stick to its limit.

For example, "hunters have to make sure they carry their snowshoes with them when they go hunting," says Kenny.

"It's basically to track the caribou in deep snow. When you use snowshoes, you can get near the caribou so you can't miss your shot, and then you take everything, including the hides for drums and clothing."

Sentencing circles included in plan

Kenny acknowledges that not everyone is going to follow the rules.

"We're going to have a group of elders that is going to deal with hunters themselves."

According to Kenny, the elders would talk to hunters, "tell them we have these caribou that are declining, and that you have to follow the rules that we set for our community."

Those types of conversations may have to happen sooner rather than later.

Kenny says the community has already harvested 100 caribou this year. "We had a meeting on Jan. 22,  we spoke on our harvesting number.

"Once we hit [150] we are going to have a meeting with the harvesters and go from there."

Two plans, one decision

The N.W.T. government has its own plan for managing the caribou population.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources wants the harvest of the herd to be limited to bulls and capped at 950 animals — for all of the N.W.T. and Nunavut. The Sahtu region's five communities would share 163 of those tags.

Kenny says those number don't necessarily conflict with Deline's plan, but he can't be sure.

"I guess it would work. I haven't spoken to ENR directly, I'm speaking only to our plan."

The Sahtu Renewable Resources Board is evaluating both plans, and will a hold public hearing to discuss them during the first week of March.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bluenose-East herd has declined from about 68,000 caribou in 2013 to between 35,000 and 40,000 in 2015. Its number of breeding cows has also dropped by 50 per cent since 2013.