The government’s decision to allow moose hunting season to continue this year in the Cariboo-Chilcotin is being met with disapproval from First Nations bands in the region.
“We were already concerned about the low moose population in our territory prior to the fires happening,” said Chief Stuart Alec of the Nazko First Nation, which serves the communities of Chuntezni’ai, Besikoh and Bunchek.
“Now after the fires, its going to heighten the devastation to the population.”
Moose numbers have been on the decline throughout Region 5, and many parts of the province, in recent years.
“We’d like to see a moratorium on hunting in Nazko territory for 2017 until we can have proper studies taken to identify that there is a high enough population to have hunting,” said Chief Alec.
Many other First Nations groups in the region agree.
Tl’etinqox First Nation Chief Joe Alphonse said: “We’re still trying to recover from the wildfires ourselves.”
On Monday evening the community held a meeting to discuss their options and the possibility of trying to halt the hunting season in their territory, after three years of advocating for a moose closure.
“They feel the time to do something has passed,” Alphonse said, noting they will work within the current process.
Community members did, however, indicate they would like the issue raised with NDP Premier John Horgan, Alphonse said, and look toward better moose management and less bureaucracy next fall.
“There won’t be four years in a row. We are warning people now.”
He said the moose population may have been further strained due to the Hanceville-Riske Creek and Plateau fires, and said community members have been hearing stories about area residents finding dead or injured wildlife due to the large fires burning throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin this summer.