Ahiak

Herd size (2011): 71,000

The Ahiak caribou range includes Nunavut, the Northwest Territories (NWT) and, to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan. The Ahiak caribou give birth to their calves from the Adelaide Peninsula (eastern Queen Maud Gulf) east to Pelly Bay, Nunavut. The herd spends most summers in the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary. The herd winters on the barrens and in the boreal forest in the area northwest of the Saskatchewan border to the north side of Great Slave Lake. The Ahiak herd overlaps with the Bathurst caribou herd on the west and the Qamanirjuaq and Beverly herds to the east.

Management

So far, there is no management board or management plan for this herd. Resident, outfitted and commercial harvest of caribou within the NWT portion of the Ahiak herd has been suspended since 2010, except for a limited one tag resident harvest of bulls in the range of the Ahiak and Beverly caribou herds.

Where are the wolves? Satellite collaring planned for wolves on caribou winter range

a 2020 news story about collaring wolves associated with the Beverly/Ahiak, Bathurst and Bluenose-east herds.

31 January 2020 | CBC

Beverly and Qaminirjuaq Ahiak Bathurst Bluenose East Managing predators Natural factors

Related resources

Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation’s Caribou Stewardship Plan

A 47-page 2020 Caribou stewardship plan from the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation (NWT). The “Yúnethé Xá Ɂetthën Hádı” plan covers the Bathurst, Beverly, Ahiak, and Qamanirjuaq herds.

Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation (2020)

Format: pdf

Beverly and Qaminirjuaq Ahiak Bathurst Range management

RECOVERY STRATEGY FOR BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU In the Northwest Territories

This 70-page recovery strategy for barren-gound caribou in the Northwest Territories lays out plans to help the eight herds covered by the strategy. The strategy was required by the NWT Species at Risk Act after the barren-ground caribou were listed as "threatened" in 2018. The governments and co-management boards that developed the strategy have until April 9, 2021 to agree on the implementation of the recovery strategy.

Conference of Management Authorities (2020)

Usage: Non-commercial with attribution
Format: web

Beverly and Qaminirjuaq Barren-ground Ahiak Bathurst Bluenose West Bluenose East Cape Bathurst Tuk Peninsula Managing hunting Managing predators Range management Management

Report to the Hunters of the Ahiak Caribou – Feb 2019

The Northern Contaminants Program monitors contaminants in Arctic Caribou in Canada.

(2019)

Usage: Non-commercial with attribution
Format: pdf

Ahiak People Contaminants

Inuktitut summary report on contaminants in the Ahiak herd

A two-page summary report in Inuktitut on contaminants in the Ahiak caribou herd

(2019)

Usage: Non-commercial with attribution
Format: pdf

Ahiak Contaminants

caribou and community well-being (Gjoa Haven)

A web page with a variety of other resources centred on the link between the people of Gjoa Haven (Nunavut) and caribou. Resources on the page range from academic papers to a hand-drawn ink calendar showing the phases of local Inuit use of caribou.

Straight Up North (2016)

Usage: Non-commercial with attribution
Format: web

Beverly and Qaminirjuaq Barren-ground Ahiak Bathurst Lorillard Wager Bay People