The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has responded to concerns expressed by a biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
In an interview with CBC on Tuesday, April 17, Wildlife biologist Keith Munro, with the OFAH said the OMNRF's management strategies for the northwest and northeast of Ontario were different.
Munro suggested the ministries "year to year" management of moose in the northwest might potentially be playing a role in the moose decline in Thunder Bay District, specifically Wildlife Management unit 13.
He noted in the northeast, managers tend to use multi-year management plans. He said this year, the northeast moose tags allocations remained at status quo, with some slight increases. In comparison, unit 13 in the northwest, saw its available adult gun moose tags cut nearly in half, from 94 in 2017, to just 48 in 2018.
In an email to CBC, the OMNRF's communication specialist Jolanta Kowalski said no ministry biologist was available for an interview about the subject of moose management styles in Ontario.
However, Kowalski did supply a written response to some of Munro's concerns.
Kowalski wrote: "The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry relies, in part, on postcard survey data submitted voluntarily by moose hunters to estimate harvest levels and hunter success rates."
Kowalski said in recent years, response rates to the surveys have declined in the Northwest Region.
"At the same time, more moose are being harvested than planned for in some areas."
"To address this uncertainty in the estimated number of moose being harvested, moose harvest plans in the Northwest Region included a calculated margin of error (or standard error) in tag fill rate estimates. This precautionary approach lessens the risk of harvesting more animals than planned.
Other regions do not currently incorporate a standard error into harvest estimates and planning due to higher survey data quality. As the ministry moves to mandatory reporting for hunters as part of the licensing modernization process, survey response rates are expected to increase and improve data quality. This means the margin of error applied to tag fill rates will decrease."
Munro noted in his interview the OFAH had long pushed for mandatory moose harvest reporting by hunters. He said the OMNRF has agreed to implement the recommendation for 2019.
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