International Porcupine Caribou Board Meets in Fort McPherson, NWT

The International Porcupine Caribou Board met in Ft. McPherson on May The Board was established to implement the International Agreement between Canada and the United States on the conservation of the Porcupine caribou herd. A summary of current research was reported. Of particular note is the herd census scheduled in July 1997. The last census was in 1994 when 152,000 caribou were counted. Since that time 3 years of good calf survival is expected to yield a higher count during this years census. The International Board plans to publish a summary of the importance of calving and summer range to the herd. An outline of the report was tabled at the meeting. The other active issue of the Board is the reporting of caribou harvest by communities within the range of the herd. Native user representatives on the Board recommend harvest reporting by all hunters within their communities and will work with user communities and the Porcupine Caribou Management Board in Canada to promote harvest reporting.

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