Muskoxen are
harvested under quota on three areas on the Arctic islands (Melville Island I/MX/01,
Banks Island I/MX/02, and northwest Victoria Island I/MX/03) and four areas on
the mainland (I/MX/05, I/MX/06, S/MX/01, and U/MX/01).
On Melville, Banks and northwest Victoria island the hunting season is
open from 15 August to 31 March for resident and non resident hunters.
Hunting season for muskox on Banks Island is open
from 15 August to 30 April. Management of the muskox is dependant upon
monitoring the trends in population size and survival rates. As a result of
population increases, a quota system was instituted, with a 1971 quota of 7
muskoxen which was raised to 150 in 1978. In 1981, because of concerns from the
local people of Sachs Harbour over the effect upon caribou the quota was raised
to 2000 in an attempt to slow the population growth (A. Gunn, C. Shank and B.
Mclean,1991).
The restriction to
subsistence use was also removed, allowing for the possibility of a commercial
harvest. The quota for muskox is presently 10 000.
Despite
the rapid increase in the population number, the GNWT has decided not to
institute a muskox cull on Banks Island. The cost would be enormous and there
are logistic problems as well. The size of the cull would have to be extremely
large and the biggest problem would be what to do with the meat. The market is
not large enough to support it and wasting the meat would be unethical. (Banks
Island muskox/caribou management plan, March 1992. Draft). By not actively
attempting to reduce the population, then it is allowed to continue naturally
with the population number possibly being controlled be some other factor such
as weather, unavailability of sufficient food etc. This population reduction
could occur due to increased mortality, reduced reproduction, or a combination
of the two. The hope here would have to be that the number does not fall so low
that the population cannot respond or that the population is no longer available
to the local people who utilize it as a food source.
