Cape Bathurst
- Herd size (2021) 4,913
This is one of three herds once simply known as the “Bluenose Herd”. In the mid 1990s, research showed that the Bluenose Herd was split into three herds all using different calving grounds, so the management units of Bluenose-East, Bluenose-West, and Cape Bathurst herds were created. There is no management board for this herd, but there is a management plan covering all three herds. The Cape Bathurst herd was estimated at about 19,000 animals in the early 1990s. The 2018 estimate put the number at 4,500. A 2021 count shows a slight increase to 4,913.
The Cape Bathurst herd range is entirely in the northwest Territories, ranging from the eastern side of the Mackenzie Delta to the Cape Bathurst on the Arctic coast that gives the herd its name. The NWT community of Tuktoyaktuk is within the herd’s range, and Inuvik is nearby. The herd was harvested by four communities; Aklavik, Inuvik, Tsiigehtchic and Tuktoyaktuk. All harvest of the Cape Bathurst herd has been suspended since 2007. The herd’s calving grounds on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula are protected through the Community Conservation Plans and provisions in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. The area is also recognized as a Critical Wildlife Area between May 15 and June 15.
Related news
QIA says Nunavut land-use plan doesn’t go far enough to protect caribou
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (the organization that holds land rights for Inuit in the Baffin region of Nunavut) is urging more prtoections for caribou in the Nunavut Land Use Plan. The land use plan is in its final hearing stage. The plan has been under development for several years and will influence the future of development in the territory.
18 November 2022 | Nunatsiaq news
Beverly and QaminirjuaqBarren-groundPearyAhiakBaffin IslandBathurstBluenose WestBluenose EastBoothia PenninsulaCape BathurstCoats IslandLorillardTuk PeninsulaWager BaySouthampton IslandBanks-VictoriaWestern Queen ElizabethPrince of Wales - Somerset - BoothEastern Queen ElizabethDolphin and UnionRange management
Barren-Ground Caribou Population Surveys Indicate Positive Signs for Some Herds, and Ongoing Concerns for the Bathurst Herd
Caribou herd counts were released for five herds surveyed in 2021. All five herds were last surveyed in 2018. Three herds (Tukotyaktuk Peninsula, Cape Bathurst, Bluenose East) show slight increases, the other two (Bathust and Bluenose West) show further declines.
21 December 2021 | Government of the NWT
Strategy to help NWT’s beleaguered caribou is released
A news story about a new recovery strategy for barren-ground caribou herds in the NWT. The strategy was developed by group of governments and regulatory boards, collectively known as the Conference of Management Authorities. The recovery strategy will guide how all NWT herds of barren-ground caribou are managed, with the exception of the Porcupine herd.
10 July 2020 | cabin radio
Related resources
Continental synchrony and local responses: Climatic effects on spatiotemporal patterns of calving in a social ungulate
This paper looked at data from seven barren ground caribou herds, totalling more than 1200 animals over 15 years. The authors were trying to estimate the effects of changing climate on calving. The paper notes that, "...the ability to access preferred calving areas and the ability to synchronize births in time are critical for maintaining high barren-ground caribou abundances..." in concludes, "Overall, we detected considerable variability across years and across herds, but no significant trend for earlier calving by caribou, even as broad indicators of spring and snow phenology trend earlier."
(2023)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: web
Beverly and QaminirjuaqBarren-groundBathurstBluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstClimate changeadvisory committee for cooperation on wildlife management
This is the site for the Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management. It was established to exchange information, help develop cooperation and consensus, and make recommendations regarding wildlife and wildlife habitat issues that cross land claim and treaty boundaries in the Northwest Territories. The committee includes the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT), Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board, Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı (Sahtú Renewable Resources Board), Wek’èezhìi Renewable Resources Board, Kitikmeot Regional Wildlife Board, and Tuktut Nogait National Park Management Board. The ACCWM covers three caribou herds, the Bluenose east and west herds, and Cape Bathurst.
(2020)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: web
Bluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstManaging huntingManaging predatorsRange managementRECOVERY 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 QaminirjuaqBarren-groundAhiakBathurstBluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstTuk PeninsulaManaging huntingManaging predatorsRange managementManagementInterview on Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management
Ever wonder how different jurisdictions cooperate on caribou management? Here's one example. An interview with Jody Pellissey, Executive Director of the Wekʼèezhìi Renewable Resources Board about the Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management (ACCWM). It was created to share information and coordinate wildlife management between wildlife management boards in the NWT and Nunavut, with a particular focus on the management of transboundary caribou herds.
(2020)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: video
Bluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstManaging huntingManaging predatorsRange managementRenal trace elements in barren-ground caribou subpopulations: Temporal trends and differing effects of sex, age and season
An academic paper that looks at the level of some metals in kidneys of some northern caribou. It found that copper levels are decreasing in the caribou kidneys, possibly due to changes in what caribou are eating. The paper concludes, "Declining Cu concentrations in caribou are of concern as low levels could potentially negatively affect reproduction and therefore caribou at a population level."
Science of the Total Environment (2020)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
PorcupineBeverly and QaminirjuaqBarren-groundBaffin IslandBathurstBluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstPeopleClimate changeContaminantsTactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations
A 2019 academic paper that looks at factors affecting caribou migration timing and speed. The paper concludes that later arrival at calving grounds might indicate that females are in worse condition, and that calving and calf survival rates might be lower.
(2019)
Usage: Attribution Format: web
PorcupineBeverly and QaminirjuaqBathurstBluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstFortymileClimate changeAction Plan for the Cape Bathurst Caribou Herd
A 62-page action plan for the Cape Bathurst herd prepared by the wildlife management boards with stewardship responsibilities for barren-ground caribou and their habitat in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This is a follow-up to the 2014 management plan, "Taking Care of Caribou".
Wekʼèezhìi Renewable Resources Board (WRRB) (2017)
Technical Report on Cape Bathurst, Bluenose-West and Bluenose-East Caribou Herds
A 90-page 2016 report presenting scientific knowledge and status of the Cape Bathurst, BluenoseWest and Bluenose-East caribou herds and gaps in knowledge. One of two companion documents to "Taking Care of Caribou: The Cape Bathurst, Bluenose-West and Bluenose-East Caribou Herds Management Plan"
Government of the Northwest Territories (2016)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Bluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstManaging huntingManaging predatorsRange managementClimate changeHuman disturbanceNatural factorsHuntingWe have been Living with the Caribou all our Lives: a report on information recorded during community meetings
A 196-page report from 2014 from The Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management (a collection of wildlife management/renewable resources boards from the NWT and Nunavut). This report details community input to a management plan for the Cape Bathurst, Bluenose-West, and Bluenose-East herds
Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management (2014)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Bluenose WestBluenose EastCape BathurstManaging huntingManaging predatorsRange managementManagement