The Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement (1985) states there will be no commercial harvest of Porcupine Caribou in Canada. However, the sale, barter or trade of caribou meat among First Nations and Inuvialuit is permitted subject to guidelines established by the PCMB. These guidelines outline those circumstances and situations when the sale of caribou meat is allowed.
The following is a summary of the key elements of the guidelines:
Under the guidelines, “barter” and “trade” mean the same thing: an exchange of a good or service for caribou meat. For example, harvesters could trade fish for caribou meat or caribou meat in exchange for fixing a skidoo.
“Sale” is defined as the exchange of money for caribou meat. Under the guidelines, the money received for Porcupine Caribou meat must not exceed reasonable expenses incurred. This means no one should profit from the sale of Porcupine Caribou. For greater certainty, expenses are not to be considered the value of the caribou. The guidelines stipulate:
Hunters who plan to sell caribou to other Native Users for reasonable expenses must be pre-authorized by the local First Nation government, RRC or HTC.
Hunters who are paid to hunt as individuals should be paid “reasonable expenses” for the trip and not according to the number of caribou taken. These reasonable expenses should include gas/oil, ammunition, and some costs for wear and tear on the vehicle/equipment with a limit of $200 or as determined by the local First Nation, RRC or HTC.
Other expenses that may be considered (if necessary) are basic food provisions and safety equipment
Under the guidelines, “disadvantaged” users are defined as those who are single parents, elders, widows, low-income families and those who are unable to go hunting due to disability or prolonged illness. Other circumstances may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the respective RRCs, HTCs or First Nations.
For the purpose of these guidelines, an “emergency situation” is where the caribou do not migrate near enough to a community to meet Native Users’ needs in Canada. The User Communities will work together to meet needs of Native Users in accordance with these guidelines.
The PCMB acknowledges that aboriginal groups within the Canadian range of the herd have land claim agreements, which have implications for the implementation of the guidelines. Therefore, if any conflicts arise, the expeditious consideration of individual situations will be dealt with in a timely fashion by the appropriate claimant organization under their existing processes.
