Harvest Management Plan

The Porcupine Caribou herd provides a healthy, nutritious food source for people who live in the north, particularly the user communities in Alaska, Yukon and NWT. Ensuring the sustainable harvest of the Porcupine Caribou herd is an important aspect of the PCMB’s mandate.

HARVEST MANAGEMENT PLAN for the Porcupine Caribou Herd in Canada (pdf)

Implementation Plan a companion document to the Harvest Management Plan (pdf)

As per PCMB recommendations following this year’s Annual Harvest Meeting, the herd is currently in the following zone:

Green Zone: Licensed hunters can take a maximum of two bull caribou. Aboriginal harvesters can take as many caribou (cows or bulls) as they need. All harvesters must report their harvest

Annual Harvest Meeting

The Porcupine Caribou Management Board, along with the Parties responsible for the management of the herd, worked together to create the Harvest Management Plan for the Porcupine Caribou herd in Canada and its accompanying implementation strategy.

The Plan coordinates management actions for the herd’s conservation and lays out how the Parties will respond according to the status of the herd.

Download the Green Zone poster

Herd size Licensed hunters Aboriginal hunters
Green Zone
More than 115,000 animals		 Up to two animals harvested.
Mandatory bulls only.		 No harvest limit.
Cows and bulls may be taken.
Yellow Zone
80,000 to 115,000 animals		 Only one animal harvest.
Mandatory bulls only.		 No harvest limit.
Voluntary bulls only.
Orange Zone
45,000 to 80,000 animals		 Harvest limit through permits. Harvest limit through subsistence allocation.
Red Zone
Less than 45,000 animals		 No harvesting. No harvest except for ceremonial purposes.

Harvest Reporting

Under the Harvest Management Plan, all Parties have committed to accurately reporting harvest of Porcupine Caribou by their hunters each year. This information is critical to determining the management status of the herd each year.

It will also be an important component for determining harvest allocation among user groups if the herd is ever in the Orange Zone.

Get the detailed plans and reports