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Providing coverage of Alaska and northern Canada's oil and gas industry
April 2009

Vol. 14, No. 16 Week of April 19, 2009

Teshekpuk, Central Arctic herds increase

Petroleum News

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said April 13 that the Teshekpuk and the Central Arctic caribou herds both increased between 2002 and 2008.

The department said recent photocensuses found the Teshekpuk caribou herd had increased from 45,000 animals in 2002 to slightly more than 64,000 animals in 2008. The Central Arctic herd increased from about 32,000 animals in 2002 to approximately 67,000 in 2008.

The Teshekpuk and Central Arctic herds are the only Arctic herds known to be increasing at this time, the department said. The other two herds, the Western Arctic, whose range is west of the Teshekpuk herd, and the Porcupine herd, with a range east of the Central Arctic herd, appear to be decreasing, as do many herds across Canada. The department said scientists have not yet determined causes of the decline.

Mixing not the cause

The department said its staff believes good production rates, good weather, low predation and good habitat have combined to allow these two particular herds to increase rapidly.

Photocensuses or radio-tracking data do not support theories that changes in herd numbers reflect a mixing of caribou from several different herds.

“We can’t say no mixing takes place with neighboring herds, but we found no collared animals from neighboring herds within the Teshekpuk herd during the photocensus,” department caribou biologist Lincoln Parrett said in a statement.

The department said Fort Yukon area biologist Beth Lenart found only four collared caribou from neighboring herds in the Central Arctic herd during the photocensus.

“Even if each collared animal represented a thousand caribou, it wouldn’t be enough to explain the increase in Central Arctic herd size,” Lenart said in a statement. “The herd is growing rapidly right now.”

Photocensus in 2008

Photocensuses of both herds were completed in July 2008. Biologists radio-track collared caribou to locate groups of animals that are photographed by a large-format camera in the belly of another plane. The photos are examined under magnifying glasses and individual caribou are counted.

The department said survey conditions were excellent for both censuses, which produced very high quality photos. Based on the number of collared animals within the larger groups, department biologists believe about 95 percent of the animals in each herd were photographed, making the photocensus results a minimum number but a solid estimate for each herd.

The department said the increase in numbers for the Arctic herds is good news for many North Slope communities that fill meat racks and freezers by hunting Teshekpuk caribou. The Teshekpuk herd typically lives year-round on the western North Slope and is an extremely important resource for the people of Barrow, Nuiqsut, Wainwright, Anaktuvuk Pass and Atqasuk.

The Central Arctic herd is commonly hunted by Alaskans from all over the state as well as by nonresident hunters, the department said.






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