NOME, Alaska — Starting July 1, caribou hunters in the Bering Strait Region will have to contend with a handful of new regulations. The Alaska Board of Game unanimously passed the changes at a statewide meeting in Fairbanks two weeks ago.
Charlie Lean is chair of the Northern Norton Sound Advisory Committee. He said the most contentious new rule requires hunters to have a harvest ticket with them while hunting.
“Having to carry a coupon, remembering to mark it after you’ve shot the animal, some people find that onerous,” he said.
Lean said the new requirement was almost inevitable, given the shrinking size of the Northwest Arctic Caribou herd. Fifteen years ago, the herd’s population was 450,000 animals. Today, he says it’s about half that.
“As the herd declines, the biologists and managers need to know exactly how many animals are available and how many have been killed,” he said. “The accounting system needs to be improved.”
Under new regulations, caribou hunters will not be allowed to harvest cows between April 1 and July 1. Each hunter will also be limited to taking 20 animals per year. While that caps the currently unlimited harvest, Lean said the new quota will affect less than five percent of hunters.
The Northern Norton Sound Advisory Committee will meet Tuesday to review the new regulations and discuss proposals for next year. Lean said he expects potential proposals to focus on the brown bear and king crab harvests.
