Iqaluit hunters group changes caribou tag distribution; now a random draw
41 tags will be divided between summer and winter
Iqaluit hunters will need to submit their name for a draw before they can go out to harvest caribou, which is a change to the way the tags are distributed.
Last year, any Inuk could go out to hunt and later claim a tag from the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association if they caught a caribou.
This year, tags will only be allotted through a draw. If selected, a hunter will have two weeks to harvest a male caribou.
The decision to change the distribution was decided at a closed door meeting on Thursday.
"We motioned to have the tags in a lottery system," said Jerry Ell, an Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association board member. "This is to ensure a safe and equitable way to spread the tags."
Unused tickets returned to draw
The annual harvest of 41 caribou will be divided between seasons: with 25 tags available starting Aug. 15, and 16 tags available as of Dec. 1. The number of tags remains the same as in previous years.
In 2015, the Government of Nunavut set the total allowable harvest for Baffin Island at 250. At that time, the number of caribou on Baffin Island was estimated to be less than 5,000.
Inuit in Iqaluit can submit their names for the summer draw until Aug. 14. If the tags aren't used within two weeks, they'll be returned to the pool for the following draw. The tags are limited to one per household and can't be transferred to a non-Inuk hunter.
With files from Michael Salomonie