Western Arctic Caribou herd has dropped in 2022

[Larry Bartlett]

The GMU 23 closure continues through 2023 already. Since the majority of non-locals enter via GMU 23 and 26A, I doubt the feds will intervene beyond what the FSB has already declared. However, now that the herd has dropped to below 170,000 caribou and its management paradigm shifts to "preservative and declining" there is a small chance the state BOG could restrict harvest allocations for every user group. We'll have to wait for the state to make those critical decisions this winter.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Looks like I'm back to considering Greenland. Muskox combo maybe.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Can you bring home the meat from Greenland? I didn't think one could so I've never pursued.

 

[arctichunting]

Word on the street is it will be closed after this year.


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[RyanT26]

Word on the street is it will be closed after this year.


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What will be closed?

 

[arctichunting]

What will be closed?

All non res caribou hunting in 23/26


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[FSUhunter1010]

This wednesday is the meeting I believe!?!?

 

[FSUhunter1010]

Any updates from todays meeting in Anchorage?

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I was under the impression that the Western Arctic Herd Working Group meetings are today and tomorrow. At these meetings ADFG and the federal agencies will present data and recommendations to the Working Group who will then use those data and input to form a body of opinion about the herd (letter of intent) to present to the BOG and even the FSB.

The WG isn't a policy making board but they can influence the communities and spur on recommendations made to the FSB to close caribou hunting to non locals.

These meetings have ZERO to do with WSA 21-01 (current closure mechanism) or its outcome. The seats on the WG are filled with local natives from the major and minor communities from Nome to Barrow. The one seat for non-locals is titled "Fairbanks Hunters" but the years I filled this seat had ZERO inpact on the decisions and movement of the WG as a whole. Nor did "Air Transporters" seat.

 

[arctichunting]

I was under the impression that the Western Arctic Herd Working Group meetings are today and tomorrow. At these meetings ADFG and the federal agencies will present data and recommendations to the Working Group who will then use those data and input to form a body of opinion about the herd (letter of intent) to present to the BOG and even the FSB.

The WG isn't a policy making board but they can influence the communities and spur on recommendations made to the FSB to close caribou hunting to non locals.

These meetings have ZERO to do with WSA 21-01 (current closure mechanism) or its outcome. The seats on the WG are filled with local natives from the major and minor communities from Nome to Barrow. The one seat for non-locals is titled "Fairbanks Hunters" but the years I filled this seat had ZERO inpact on the decisions and movement of the WG as a whole. Nor did "Air Transporters" seat.

I had heard the rumor from someone who spoke to F&G biologist up in Kotz that it’d be closed starting in 24


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[cubdriver84d]

To protect shrinking Western Arctic Caribou Herd, group recommends subsistence hunters drastically reduce harvest

The Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group voted to propose reducing the harvest for resident subsistence hunters from five caribou a day to four caribou per year, just one of which could be a cow.

www.adn.com

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Seems the Group recommended reducing subsistence harvest from 5 per day to 4 per year starting in 2024, with only 1 cow allowed. The communities should also accurately report ALL caribou they harvest so bios can actually trust harvest data to make more sound decisions about the future dynamics and allocations.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

That strategy only works if harvest reports are accurate.

 

[SummitsCalling]

Subsistence hunters are notorious for not reporting, why bother? It's a massive problem across species, state agencies have to simply guess.

Truth is there is only one real reason the herd is being decimated, but some people choose to live in BFE and blame everyone else they can't get their 30 caribou by running up on them with a boat and shooting every single last one of them.

 

[RyanT26]

5 per day seems ridiculous.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

5 per year is ridiculous when you take into account all other subsistence foods like whale and seal that end up as polar bear bait in spring at the local dump just in Wainwright and Barrow. sickening waste cycles.

agreed. Report what you take from each animal group so we have an accurate human-caused removal of a given number of animals. Science doesn't work any better than speculation otherwise.

 

[Behlftball]

Would this likely close the haul road hunt?

 

[Yoder]

So what does all this mean?

It means those people need to learn how to code, just like the coal miners.

 

[cubdriver84d]

Would this likely close the haul road hunt?

No. Haul road is primarily central arctic herd.

 

[Behlftball]

Thank you, still trying to decipher all this stuff