Press Release

The Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks revises the measures governing sport hunting for the 2014-2015 season

Québec City, February 6, 2014 – Minister of Sustainable development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks, Yves-François Blanchet, has announced the measures governing migratory caribou sport hunting that he intends to implement in Northern Québec for the 2014-2015 season.

Biological data collected in the fall of 2013 on the Rivière aux Feuilles herd indicate that its population has presented a relative demographic stability and that, for about four years. Consequently, the measures governing sport hunting announced in a press release on April 26, 2013 for the 2014-2015 season will be adjusted.

Accordingly, measures governing sport hunting applied in 2013-2014 for the rivière aux Feuilles herd will be renewed in 2014-2015. For Zones 22A, 22B and 23 West, the provincial harvesting limit will be of two caribou per hunter for the 2014-2015 season. The number of licences issued for sport hunting for the 2014-2015 season will be allocated as follows:

Zone 22A:

• 500 licences allocated by random draw with no obligation to use the services of an outfitter.

Zone 22B:

• 1 722 licences offered via outfitters.

Zone 23 West:

• 804 licences offered via outfitters.

The following measures will be renewed for the 2014-2015 season:

Zones 22A and 22B:

• Hunting season will begin on December 1st and end on January 30.

Zone 23 West:

• Hunting season will begin on August 17 and end on October 7;
• Winter season hunting period will be closed.

Zones 22A, 22B and 23 West:

• A hunter may not hunt in more than one zone per year;
• All individuals (males, females, calves) in the caribou population may be harvested.

Biological data collected in the fall of 2013 indicate that the Rivière George herd has continued to decrease and now appears to number roughly 20 000 caribou, compared with 74 000 in 2010 and 27 600 in 2012. This situation leads the Ministry to maintain the closure of sport hunting in Zones 23 East, 23 South and 24. These zones will remain closed to hunting as long as the biological data collected and indicators do not show that the herd is recovering.

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the research group Caribou Ungava have joined with the government of Québec to pursue the monitoring and research on migratory caribou herds in Northern Québec.

In addition, the Cree, Inuit and Naskapi nations, in accordance with their commitments in this respect, will monitor their harvest. This contribution is essential to the collection of overall information that ensures sound management of the herds in the coming years.

The elaboration of the management plans of the two migratory caribou herds is continuing with the collaboration of concerned partners.

The Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs is concerned about the situation of migratory caribou in Northern Québec. The caribou is important as part of the food intake and the culture of Aboriginal communities of northern Québec. It contributes to economic activity in the region and also symbolizes Québec’s wildlife heritage. Its long-term survival must be ensured. For this reason, the Ministry remains vigilant in the management of this wildlife species.

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