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Gunn, A., J. Dragon and J. Nishi. 1997. Bathurst calving
ground survey, 1996. 63 pp.
ABSTRACT
Our
current management strategy is to track herd size at 6-year intervals.
Thus, we undertook a survey in June 1996 with the objective of
estimating the number of breeding cows on the calving ground to test our
prediction that the herd had not changed significantly in size.
We used the technique developed and standardized by Heard (1985)
and used for the Bathurst herd since 1984 and our results are comparable
to the previous surveys. We
found high densities of calving caribou west of Bathurst Inlet between
the Hood and Burnside rivers. The
number of caribou on the calving ground was estimated to
be 195 000 + 41 900 SE (standard error) and the number of
breeding females on the calving ground was estimated to be 151 000 + 35
200 SE (coefficient of variation of 0.23). Total herd size was estimated
at 349 000 + 94 900
SE (coefficient of variation of 0.27). As predicted, there was no
significant difference between the 1990 and 1996 estimates.
The overall trend, then, since 1990 is stable. |
