Working with Nunatsiavut Government to Deliver Community-based Harvest Monitoring of Migratory Birds in Northern Labrador

Because migratory birds move across the continent or over oceans, it is essential that governments coordinate and cooperate in research and management. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) is Canada’s national wildlife agency, with a core area of responsibility being the protection and management of migratory birds and their nationally important habitats. However, this responsibility is ultimately a shared responsibility with provincial/territorial and Aboriginal governments. As an example, CWS has been working cooperatively with Nunatsiavut Government (representing Labrador Inuit) to develop a community-based program to monitor Inuit harvest of migratory birds in Northern Labrador. Information on species, sex and age composition is collected by assessing characteristics of wings and tails of birds donated to community freezers. This will provide ongoing local-level information to guide Nunatsiavut Government’s harvest recommendations and also promotes a better understanding of the populations of harvested birds in a remote region.