Torngat Mountains Caribou

Torngat Mountains Caribou
Aaron Dale, Torngat Secretariat
and
Eric Andersen, Torngat Wildlife and Plants CoManagement Board
and
Serge Couturier, Ph.D., caribou biologist
Collaborators: Bryn Wood and Jennifer Mitchell Foley
Overview
•
What’s been done
•
What we know
•
What we think
•
What we don’t know
•
How we plan to learn
•
What we can do
•
What we should do
Some caribou ecology concepts
and management implications
• Migratory caribou herds are distinct biological units.
- Use of traditional calving grounds over centuries.
ex. George River herd existence has been confirmed for the
last 2 centuries from oral tradition and written documents.
• Caribou herds overlap partially their annual range in Québec-Labrador
Peninsula like elsewhere in North America.
• Limited emigration have been reported between caribou herds:
ex. 9% of George River females switched calving grounds with
Leaf River herd from 1986 to 2003 (Boulet et al. 2007)
• The ecotype concept was first used by Bergerud (1988):
- migratory: use tundra and boreal forest, long migration
- sedentary: use only boreal forest, short migration
• Another ecotype has been identified:
- montane: use alpine habitat, short migration. Ex. Gaspésie and Torngat
What’s Been Done
• Is Torngat caribou different from George River caribou?
• Is Torngat caribou different from the sedentary caribou living in
Southern Labrador and Québec?
Scientific monitoring since the 1970s:
1. Reconnaissance surveys
2. Space use and annual range
3. Genetic difference
4. Body size
5. Movement
What’s Been Done
- 1. Reconnaissance Survey
• Le Henaff (1975) did the first aerial survey of the Torngat caribou herd
- “From Port Nouveau Québec to Abloviak Fjord... small groups of
caribou on all islands and near the coast of Ungava Bay...”
What’s Been Done
- 1. Reconnaissance Survey
• Bélanger and Le Henaff (1985) wrote about the Torngat caribou:
- “In 1980, a reconnaissance survey indicated that the herd
contained approximately 5,000 individuals. Although little information
is available, it would seem that a group other than that of the George
River is involved here.”
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
1986-2003
Source: Boulet et al. 2007
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
• Stuart Luttich from LWD did the first radio-tracking of the Torngat caribou
- 8 collars have been deployed opportunistically from 1988 to 1995
No
Age/ Sex
Capture
Death
Number
of days
TG8801
Adult female
9/11/1988
2/3/1992
1209
Wolf
TG9001
Adult female
23/10/1990
9/5/1991
198
Wolf
TG9002
Adult female
7/11/1990
19/1/1991
73
Inuit hunting
TG9101
Adult female
14/5/1991
20/6/1991
37
Black bear
TG9102
Adult female
13/11/1991
6/1/1993
420
Wolf
TG9103
Adult female
20/5/1991
12/6/1995
1484
?
TG9104
Adult female
19/6/1991
16/8/1997
2250
?
TG9301
Adult female
27/6/1993
28/7/1993
31
?
TG9501
Adult female
15/6/1995 15/11/1997
884
Wolf
Low survival!
Cause of
death
Mean: 732 days
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Schaefer and Luttich 1998
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Study done by Québec Government and Makivik
March 1997
• Study goals: Confirm the distinctiveness of the Torngat Herd
• Commercial harvest in Kangiqsualujjuaq by Nunavik Arctic Foods:
- 1994-1995: 25 caribou
- 1995-1996: 689 caribou
• Fears were expressed that the commercial harvest did not target the
large George River herd as planned but instead the small Torngat
herd.
• Following a request by the mayor, an emergency meeting was held
in February 1997 with local representatives and hunters from
Kangiqsualujjuaq:
- Radio-collaring project was rapidly approved
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Study done by Québec Government and Makivik
March 1997 to 1999
• Due to limited funding and urgency to proceed, only 4 radiocollars were deployed on adult female caribou (a fifth collar was
stolen by dogs during pre-deployment test)
Capture
Death
Number
of days
97031301 Adult Female
22/3/1997
7/9/1997
169
Inuit hunting
97031302 Adult Female
22/3/1997
5/5/1998
409
Inuit hunting
97031303 Adult Female
25/3/1997 10/5/1997
46
Black bear
97031304 Adult Female
25/3/1997 21/3/1999
726
Wolf
No
Age/ Sex
Very low survival!
Cause of
death
Mean: 338 days
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Couturier, S., unpubl. data, Québec Gov. & Makivik
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Couturier, S., unpubl. data, Québec Gov. & Makivik
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Couturier, S., unpubl. data, Québec Gov. & Makivik
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: Couturier, S., unpubl. data, Québec Gov. & Makivik
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
• Radio-collaring project: Qc Gov., NF & L Gov. and Torngat Secretariat
- 10 collars have been deployed in March and April 2011
Cause of
death
No
Age/ Sex
Capture
2011015
Adult female
22/3/2011 13/7/2012
479
Alive
2011016
Adult male
22/3/2011
470
Dead: cause?
2011017
Adult female
22/3/2011 12/7/2012
478
Alive
2011018
Adult male
22/3/2011
168
Inuit hunting
2011019
Adult female
22/3/2011 15/7/2012
481
Alive
2011020
Adult female
22/3/2011 17/7/2012
483
Alive
2011021
Adult female
22/3/2011 2/11/2011
225
Dead: cause?
2011024
Adult female
21/4/2011
74
Dead: cause?
2011025
Adult female
21/4/2011 18/7/2012
454
Alive
2011026
Adult female
22/4/2011 20/6/2011
59
Dead: cause?
Very low survival!
Source: unpubl. data
Death
Number
of days
4/7/2012
6/9/2011
4/7/2011
Mean: 337 days
(5 still alive)
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 2. Space use and annual range
Source: unpubl. data
What’s Been Done
- 3. Genetic difference
Lac Jos
Mealy
Red Wine
JamŽ
sie
Torngat
Leaf River
George River
Lac
Red
Leaf George
Mealy
JamŽ
sie Torngat
Jos
Wine
River River
0,028 0,018
0,029
0,017 0,017 0,015
­
0,037
0,048
0,040 0,038 0,025
­
­
0,042
0,022 0,029 0,021
­
­
­
0,027 0,032 0,026
­
­
­
­
0,005 0,001
­
­
­
­
=
0,002
­
­
­
­
=
=
Conclusion:
1. Torngat is genetically different from the 4 sedentary herds
2. Torngat is NOT genetically different from the 2 migratory herds
Source: Boulet et al. 2005, 2007
What’s Been Done
- 4. Body size
Ecotype
Herd
Hindleg
Girth Body length
Ge orge (n=344)
Leaf (n=104)
55.6
55.6
114.0
108.6
186.6
184.2
Tornga t (n=14)
53.6
122.4
200.3
Mealy (n=27)
Re d Wine (n=42)
Lac Jos (n=38)
Jam ésie (n=24)
59.6
60.6
61.6
61.5
123.5
124.2
117.3
119.9
208.1
209.2
205.6
200.9
Migratory
Montane
Sedentary
Conclusion:
1. Torngat is different in size and shape from the 2 other ecotypes.
Source: Couturier et al. 2010
What’s Been Done
- 5. Movements
Daily movement rate of adult females by herd and season
Movement (km/day)
12
Winter
10
Rest of the year
8
6
4
2
0
Leaf
Source: Couturier et al. 2010
George
Torngat
Red Wine
Lac Jos
What’s Been Done
- Discussions and planning since 2009
What We Know
•
Torngat Caribou are different than other caribou
•
Torngat caribou are hunted
•
Torngat Caribou are regionally important for food security
•
People are concerned that there are fewer than there were
•
Torngat Caribou share range with George River Caribou
•
Where they were
•
Where they are
What We Think
•
Mortality is high
•
Predation is high
•
Similar drivers as George and Leaf
•
Distribution is changing
•
Smaller group sizes
•
Fewer stags
•
The population is declining and very low
What We Don’t Know
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How many there are
How many there were
How many are hunted
Where they are hunted
Calf survival
Adult mortality
Body condition
Pregnancy rate
How we hope to Learn
•
Through partnership
•
Telemetry
•
Survey
•
Harvest survey and harvest returns
•
Traditional knowledge
What we can do
•
Nothing
•
Delay action
•
Take Action
–
Predator control program, and/or;
–
Stewardship and education, and/or;
–
Restrict or redistribute harvest pressure through:
a)
A Total Allowable Harvest
b)
Sex Selection
c)
Closed Areas
d)
Gear Restrictions
e)
Closed Seasons
f)
Trip Limits
g)
Other
What we should do
Conservation:
“the management of Wildlife, including the management of human activities in relation to them,
to foster Sustainable Utilization and maintenance of natural populations, biodiversity and
ecological processes.” (Part 12.1, Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement)
Precautionary Principle:
“if there are threats of serious or irreversible damage to Wildlife, measures to prevent the
reduction or loss of the Wildlife should not be postponed for lack of full scientific certainty.”
(Part 12.1, Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement)
Thank You