Bathurst

The Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee's (BCAC) held its 3rd Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou in December 2023. The Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou is a time for all communities, organizations, and governments across the Bathurst range to come together to review and discuss new information about the Bathurst herd and activities within the herd’s range. A key outcome of the Annual Review is the determination of the herd’s status and recommended management responses for the coming year. 

The Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee's (BCAC) held its 2nd Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou in January 2023. The Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou is a time for all communities, organizations, and governments across the Bathurst range to come together to review and discuss new information about the Bathurst herd and activities within the herd’s range. A key outcome of the Annual Review is the determination of the herd’s status and recommended management responses for the coming year. 

The Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee's (BCAC) held its 1st Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou in 2021. The Annual Review on Bathurst Caribou is a time for all communities, organizations, and governments across the Bathurst range to come together to review and discuss new information about the Bathurst herd and activities within the herd’s range. A key outcome of the Annual Review is the determination of the herd’s status and recommended management responses for the coming year. 

The goal of the five-year wolf (dìga) management program is to sufficiently reduce wolf (dìga) predation on the Bathurst and Bluenose-East herds to allow for an increase in calf and adult caribou (ekwǫ̀) survival rates to contribute to the stabilization and recovery of both herds. This report summarizes wolf management and monitoring activities undertaken by GNWT and Tłı̨chǫ Government during 2024.

In some years, the Bathurst herd’s winter range overlaps the winter ranges of its neighboring herds (Bluenose East and Beverly herds). The overlapping winter distribution between the herds has complicated monitoring and assigning harvest quotas and possibly impacts potential switches of cow caribou between calving grounds.

The goal of the five-year wolf (dìga) management program is to sufficiently reduce wolf (dìga) predation on the Bathurst and Bluenose-East herds to allow for an increase in calf and adult caribou (ekwǫ̀) survival rates to contribute to the stabilization and recovery of both herds. This report summarizes wolf management and monitoring activities undertaken by GNWT and Tłı̨chǫ Government during 2023.

A technical working group was established to compile information and determine the current abundance, trend, and distribution of wolverine on the ranges of the Bathurst and Bluenose East caribou herds. The information available for the Bathurst and Bluenose East caribou ranges is too fragmented to determine whether wolverine have become a more important predator of barren-ground caribou during the recent caribou and wolf declines, given that wolverine are long-lived and opportunistic in their behavior. 

This framework is to assess the monitoring data that becomes available throughout the year and to reassess the implementation success of management and monitoring activities. The framework will encourage collaborative understanding and discussions considering the different sets of indicators. The need to step co-management forward using both Indigenous and Scientific knowledge is being increasingly recognized.  

The Grizzly Bear and Wolverine Biological and Management Feasibility Working Group (WG) was formed to compile information about grizzly bear predation on Bluenose-east and Bathurst Caribou, as well as management options and their risks.  Grizzly bear management options are to be provided to management authorities, who in turn, and depending on their decisions, will submit specific management proposals for review in a public forum to allow for further discussion.