Co-management of the Porcupine Caribou Herd

The Porcupine Caribou H e r d is a population of 160,000 barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus grantf) that ranges from the D e C h o (Mackenzie) Delta i n the Northwest Territories across the nor-thern Y u k o n and into Alaska almost as far as Prudhoe Bay (Fig. 1). F r o m winter ranges in all three areas, the herd migrates northward in spring to calving grounds mainly on the N o r t h Slope of Alaska and extending to the Y u k o n. Fol lowing cal-ving in June, the herd moves to the Beaufort Sea coast and, i f the flies are bad, may form dense aggregations in July. Thereafter, various groups of caribou meander back and forth above treeline until fall snow storms encourage them to move south-wards. Rut t ing occurs mainly in October during the fall migration. B y November the herd occupies its winter range, although the winter distribution may vary depending on snow conditions (Russell et al, 1993). Porcupine Caribou are harvested for meat by Gwich ' in, Inuvialuit and Inupiat people from 15 communities in Canada and adjacent Alaska. N o n-native residents also harvest Porcupine Caribou for meat, and some caribou are taken by non-resident sport hunters. The annual harvest ranges between 3,000 and 4,000 animals. Over the past decade the harvest has remained well below the sustained yield of the population