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Gunn, A. and J. Dragon. 1998. Status of
Caribou and Muskox Populations Within the Prince of Wales
Island-Somerset Island-Boothia Peninsula complex, NWT, July-August 1995.
47 pp.
ABSTRACT
Caribou
(Rangifer tarandus) have almost disappeared from Somerset and
Prince of Wales islands. lnuit hunters from Resolute, Cornwallis Island,
Northwest Territories, reported poor hunting success and few caribou
seen during hunting trips on Somerset and Prince of Wales islands in the
early 1990s. In response to
their concerns, we aerially surveyed caribou and muskoxen (Ovibos
moschatus) within the Prince of Wales Island - Somerset
Island-Boothia Peninsula complex between 21 July and 3 August 1995 to
determine their status. The
1995 aerial survey was directly comparable to the surveys flown in 1980
for caribou and muskoxen on Prince of Wales, Russell and Somerset
islands (which led to an estimate of 5100 caribou) and in 1985 for
caribou and muskoxen on the Bacthia Peninsula.
We used the same type of fixed-wing aircraft, a Helic-Courier,
flown at ca. 150 m above ground level and an airspeed of ca. 160 km per
hour. We covered all three
major islands and the Boothia Peninsula at between 8 - 30% coverage.
We saw only 5 caribou on Prince of Wales Island, 2 caribou on
Somerset Island, and no caribou on Russell, Prescott, Pandora, and
Vivian islands. The 7 caribou represented a 99.6% reduction in the
number of caribou actually seen on those islands during the aerial
survey in summer 1980. Our
estimate of 6658+1728 SE (Standard Error) caribou on the Boothia
Peninsula in 1995 is similar to the 1985 estimate.
The estimated number of muskoxen (5259+414 SE) on Prince
of Wales Island is nearly a 5-fold increase over the number estimated in
1980. Muskoxen also
continue to increase in number (1140+260 SE) and to expand their
ranges on Somerset Island with nearly a 13-fold increase in the number
seen during the survey in 1995 (n=455) compared to 1980 (n=29: no
estimate was made in 1980). Muskoxen
are recolonizing the Boothia Peninsula, with 61 being seen in 1995,
where none were seen in 1985. Possible
reasons for the caribou decline are discussed. |
