The 2007 caribou health monitoring program collected
162 caribou samples during the 2007 hunting season. Resident hunters
provided 144 samples with the remainder being provided by non-resident
hunters.
"In 2006, the department developed a caribou health
monitoring program to encourage successful hunters to provide
information on the body condition of woodland caribou across the island
portion of the province," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister
of Environment and Conservation. "The collected samples will be used to
refine the caribou health monitoring program for the 2008 season."
The Provincial Government recently announced $15.3
million in funding for a five-year scientific and management strategy of
the island woodland caribou populations. The strategy builds upon
earlier efforts to better understand and mitigate the current decline in
woodland caribou numbers and the role of predators in this decline. The
new investment builds on $3.7 million allocated over the past two years
in response to evidence which led to the development of this five-year
caribou strategy.
"To have such a tremendous response from caribou
hunters illustrates the interest and concern hunters have for the
resource," said Minister Johnson. "The information from the caribou
samples will help our wildlife officials better understand the cause of
the current caribou population decline."
Resident hunters that submitted a caribou sample
package were eligible to win one of three prizes. This year�s winners
are: First prize: Dominic Miller of Marystown won a St.Croix 4pc Salmon
rod and Okuma salmon reel. Second prize: Valmond Head of Norris Arm won
an i-finder GPS H2O colour with maps. Third prize: Cyril Courtney of
Arnold�s Cove won a Bushnell Trophy 10X42 binoculars. A separate draw
was held for outfitters who submitted caribou sample packages. Snowshoe
Lake Hunting and Fishing of Grand Falls-Windsor won an i-finder GPS H2O
colour with maps.
