Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are an important wildlife food resource for Cree people living in communities along the James Bay coasts. According to Traditional Ecological Knowledge, environmental changes along the coast have affected hunting success. Also, changes in the relative abundance of di...

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Main Authors: Jean-François Giroux, Jean Rodrigue, Rodney W. Brook, Martin Patenaude-Monette
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Resilience Alliance 2022-06-01
Series:Avian Conservation and Ecology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss1/art5/
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author Jean-François Giroux
Jean Rodrigue
Rodney W. Brook
Martin Patenaude-Monette
author_facet Jean-François Giroux
Jean Rodrigue
Rodney W. Brook
Martin Patenaude-Monette
author_sort Jean-François Giroux
collection DOAJ
description Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are an important wildlife food resource for Cree people living in communities along the James Bay coasts. According to Traditional Ecological Knowledge, environmental changes along the coast have affected hunting success. Also, changes in the relative abundance of different goose populations that use James Bay may affect hunting opportunities. The objective of our study was to use band recoveries to identify Canada Goose populations harvested by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters in their Eastern James Bay territory between 2000 and 2020. A total of 744 band recoveries were reported including 198 from the Atlantic Population (AP), 82 from the Southern Hudson Bay Population (SHBP), 122 from the Atlantic Flyway Resident Population (AFRP), 339 from the Mississippi Flyway Giant Population (MFGP), and three that could not be assigned to a population. The percentage of banded geese that were recovered was three times greater for the AP than for the other three populations. Eighty-seven percent of recoveries were reported in spring and 72% were submitted by hunters from the two northern communities (Chisasibi and Wemindji). Most recoveries were reported from coastal hunting sites, but a greater proportion of banded geese of the AP were recovered inland compared to the other goose populations, an indication of their propensity to migrate inland. The most noticeable change in the goose harvest compared to the 1970s was the rapid increase of molt migrant temperate-breeding geese of the AFRP and MFGP. In addition to environmental changes along the James Bay east coast, changes in the relative abundance of each goose population may affect hunting success because each population is differently susceptible to hunting within the territory due to differences in migratory behavior. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of band recoveries in tracking these changes and we therefore encourage agencies to maintain banding programs and Cree hunters to report their recovered bands.
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spelling doaj.art-1cfd1f38b28a4abc8b9ce5184de2f77a2023-01-03T01:50:13ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682022-06-0117152059Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree huntersJean-François Giroux0Jean Rodrigue1Rodney W. Brook2Martin Patenaude-Monette3Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à MontréalCanadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change CanadaOntario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and ForestryDépartement des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à MontréalCanada Geese (Branta canadensis) are an important wildlife food resource for Cree people living in communities along the James Bay coasts. According to Traditional Ecological Knowledge, environmental changes along the coast have affected hunting success. Also, changes in the relative abundance of different goose populations that use James Bay may affect hunting opportunities. The objective of our study was to use band recoveries to identify Canada Goose populations harvested by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters in their Eastern James Bay territory between 2000 and 2020. A total of 744 band recoveries were reported including 198 from the Atlantic Population (AP), 82 from the Southern Hudson Bay Population (SHBP), 122 from the Atlantic Flyway Resident Population (AFRP), 339 from the Mississippi Flyway Giant Population (MFGP), and three that could not be assigned to a population. The percentage of banded geese that were recovered was three times greater for the AP than for the other three populations. Eighty-seven percent of recoveries were reported in spring and 72% were submitted by hunters from the two northern communities (Chisasibi and Wemindji). Most recoveries were reported from coastal hunting sites, but a greater proportion of banded geese of the AP were recovered inland compared to the other goose populations, an indication of their propensity to migrate inland. The most noticeable change in the goose harvest compared to the 1970s was the rapid increase of molt migrant temperate-breeding geese of the AFRP and MFGP. In addition to environmental changes along the James Bay east coast, changes in the relative abundance of each goose population may affect hunting success because each population is differently susceptible to hunting within the territory due to differences in migratory behavior. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of band recoveries in tracking these changes and we therefore encourage agencies to maintain banding programs and Cree hunters to report their recovered bands.https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss1/art5/atlantic flywayband recovery<span style="font-style: normal">branta canadensis</span>canada goosecree peopleeeyou istcheejames baymississippi flywaymolt migrationsubsistence hunting
spellingShingle Jean-François Giroux
Jean Rodrigue
Rodney W. Brook
Martin Patenaude-Monette
Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
Avian Conservation and Ecology
atlantic flyway
band recovery
<span style="font-style: normal">branta canadensis</span>
canada goose
cree people
eeyou istchee
james bay
mississippi flyway
molt migration
subsistence hunting
title Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
title_full Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
title_fullStr Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
title_full_unstemmed Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
title_short Canada Goose populations harvested in Eastern James Bay by Eeyou Istchee Cree hunters
title_sort canada goose populations harvested in eastern james bay by eeyou istchee cree hunters
topic atlantic flyway
band recovery
<span style="font-style: normal">branta canadensis</span>
canada goose
cree people
eeyou istchee
james bay
mississippi flyway
molt migration
subsistence hunting
url https://www.ace-eco.org/vol17/iss1/art5/
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AT rodneywbrook canadagoosepopulationsharvestedineasternjamesbaybyeeyouistcheecreehunters
AT martinpatenaudemonette canadagoosepopulationsharvestedineasternjamesbaybyeeyouistcheecreehunters