The state Board of Game has set the bag limit for caribou in Game Management Unit 23 to 15 animals – more than triple the limit proposed by local groups.
At a meeting on January 27, the board weighed in on eight proposals directly impacting Unit 23, an area covering roughly 43,000 square miles that includes all of the Northwest Arctic and Point Hope, stretching from the Goodhope River drainage to Cape Lisburne.
The bulk of the meeting’s discussions centered around the declining Western Arctic Caribou Herd. The herd’s population has dropped for the last two decades, from a high of nearly 490,000 caribou in 2003 to recent herd estimates of less than a third of that, at around 152,000, according to state biologists. Local and regional advisory councils, along with the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, submitted multiple proposals recommending the board dramatically reduce the harvest. Right now, residents can harvest five caribou per day. The proposals encouraged cutting that to four caribou per year, one of which can be a cow.
Lance Kramer is the chair of the Kotzebue Sound Advisory Council.
“It was a very difficult decision, but it was important because we care about the herd,” Kramer said. “Caring for the Western Arctic herd is exactly the same as caring for our people. Because the herd and the people go hand-in-hand.”
Kramer urged the Board to listen to local voices.
“Everybody here who really depends on this resource supports this, and we hope that you listen to us,” Kramer said. “It's very important that you understand that we are the heart of Game Management 23. And if we are proposing this, please support us.”
Despite the recommendations and testimony from multiple groups, the board amended the proposal and unanimously voted to set the bag limit to 15 caribou per year, one which could be a cow.
“We acknowledge that people have a sharing culture here,” said Board of Game chair Jerry Burnett. “Fifteen for an individual, but there's also proxy hunting available if they're hunting for other members of the household or other individuals within the community. So we believe that this is an ample opportunity.”
The change would affect all of the herd’s range, an area covering all of the Northwest Arctic and over Game Management Units 22, 23, 26A.
Several advisory council representatives spoke in support of a separate proposal that would close non-resident caribou hunts. State biologists remained neutral on the proposal.
Board of Game member Allen Barrette said because out-of-state hunters are only able to hunt bull caribou, their impact isn’t as significant to overall herd health.
“Non-residents are limited to one bull only, and data has indicated that the harvest of cows could be slowing down the herd recovery, which they're not able to participate in,” said Barrette.
Karmen Schaeffer-Monogold is a member of the Kotzebue Sound advisory council. She says in order for the herd to rebound, all users need to make sacrifices.
“I grew up with a guide family,” said Schaeffer-Monogold. “Guides have options with other animals on the land. They also can go to different areas of the state for caribou. Our locals don't have such options for food security.”
After over an hour of deliberating on modifications to the proposal, the board chose not to close non-resident hunts. Instead, in a 6 - 0 vote with one abstention, the board opted to establish a drawing hunt that would allow up to 300 permits to be issued in Game Management Unit 23.
Non-resident hunters are allowed one bull caribou per year during an early fall hunt, which runs from Aug.1- Sept 30. But Schaeffer-Monigold said those hunters are still taking away food from rural residents.
“Stating ‘300 caribou isn't much’ is unfortunate when each of these villages would be thankful for that,” said Schaeffer-Monogold. “Stating ‘300 isn't significant’ is like saying four of our villages aren't significant because of their numbers.”
The newly adopted proposals will be sent to the Department of Law for review and then sent to the lieutenant governor for filling before becoming effective.
