Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of environment some questions regarding caribou.
Mr. Speaker, I was on the highway a couple weeks ago, and I saw a small herd of eight caribou near the Whati Road, and I only thought to myself jeez, I sure hope they know where they are. Because I'll tell ya, they looked delicious. Anyway, that said, the numbers have always been at risk and hence my question specifically to the Minister is is what is the most current count of herds, and do we have any that are on the increase? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to hear that the Member saw a nice small herd of caribou over there. It's nice any time you can experience that. Those specific numbers I don't have with me today, but I'm happy to provide to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister aware of any herd on the increase? In other words, has it been rebounding from some of the record lows? At one time in the Yellowknife area, we had the Bathurst at close to 500,000 and, you know, just a few years ago, it was just under 7,000, Mr. Speaker. I'm curious is the Minister aware of any that are on the increase? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the one I am -- that comes top of mind is the Bluenose-East herd which has increased in numbers. Approximately 14,000 or so, give or take, increase from 2021 to 2023 is the one that comes to mind right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I would certainly describe moose as the northern delicacy. But that said, dry meat from caribou is always welcome and delicious, Mr. Speaker. What types of working groups are out there that the Minister's working with trying to encourage sustainable harvesting so we can see the herds increase in numbers so they will be there for further generations? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a tremendous effort between the Department of Environment and Climate Change working with all of the Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories. You know, climate has certainly played an impact on the caribou as well and, you know, the caribou are a very traditional part of the culture all across the NWT. So you know, we are working with all of the Indigenous governments. We're working with the -- sorry. Yes, thanks, drew a blank. My apologies.
Working with the -- sorry, working with the monitors, with the monitoring programs across the NWT. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to go up the actual -- the winter road yesterday. We went up to MacKay Lake and, unfortunately, we didn't see any caribou, but we had five officers up there. There are a number of monitors. The Yellowknives Dene are up there. The North Slave Metis are up there, as well as the Tlicho. So there's a lot of work going on amongst those groups as well as, you know, our engagement with the traditional knowledge holders and working with communities all throughout the North Slave region as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
