Despite the decline, chair of the Porcupine Caribou Management Board, Joe Tetlichi says the decline was expected and the board doesn\u2019t have to \u201cput up the red flags yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe population goes up and down and we know that through Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge,” Tetlichi said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve had that same scenario back in 1989 to 2001 when we had an population estimate of 187,000. And then in 2001 we finally got a count and it was 123,000. So we know that it [goes] up and down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biologist Mark Nelson with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says nutrition could be playing a role in the current decline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe compare the older animals, the younger animals and when there’s a lot of nutrition on the landscape and everybody’s fat and happy, the younger animals are giving birth at a rate very similar to the older animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nelson says in the last six to eight years the herd’s younger females have been giving birth less often, signalling that nutrition could be an issue. And if birth rates remain low for several years, the herd is unlikely to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768479068_296_default.jpg\")
Caribou from the Porcupine herd seen along the Dempster Highway near the Yukon\/N.W.T border. (Meagan Deuling\/CBC)<\/p>\n
The management board\u2019s latest annual report<\/a> says research indicates that there has been a small decrease in lichen cover over the herd\u2019s range.<\/p>\n In addition to birth rates, survival rates are also an important indicator of population health and what direction the herd size is trending.<\/p>\n The board’s latest report says adult female survival was the lowest since 2015 and below the threshold for a stable or increasing herd, and calf survival was also lower than average. Both indicate the herd is in decline and will continue in that direction.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the Indigenous side, we’ve had our local experts out on the land saying that, you know, there’s less cow caribou, they see less calves in the spring,\u201d Tetlichi said. \u201cSo that’s something that we really rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Everything has to line up\u2019<\/p>\n Collecting data on the herd\u2019s size is important for informing the board\u2019s management measures, but making as population estimate is not easy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to do the population count every two years, but everything has to line up,\u201d Tetlichi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In order to survey the herd, biologists sometimes have to wait years for the right conditions. Before last summer, the last time that happened was in 2017 when biologists were able to photograph the herd from an airplane and use those photos to estimate its size.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s our best method to figuring out how many caribou are in the herd,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cThat is accomplished by having collars in the herd and knowing a little bit about caribou behavior, especially right following their calving time when they group up into these big post calving aggregations or groups.\u201d<\/p>\n Everything from mosquitoes to weather can affect the herd\u2019s movement and biologists’ ability to conduct an aerial survey, Tetlichi said.<\/p>\n In summer when mosquitoes are most abundant, the caribou will often group together and seek refuge in the hills and mountains, he said. That\u2019s when biologists have a window to get aerial photos, if the other conditions align.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s cloudy and that\u2019s not good for taking the count. Sometimes it’s smoky and that\u2019s another reason we don\u2019t get a count,\u201d Tetlichi said.<\/p>\n Harvest won\u2019t change, says board chair<\/p>\n The Porcupine herd is ecologically and culturally significant and provides food to many northern communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768479068_632_default.jpg\")
Caribou from the Porcupine herd are seen during an aerial population survey in Alaska. (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)<\/p>\n