Moose Hunting Numbers Remain Strong

Contract 400119680 ESTABLISHED • MAY 1975 VOLUME 45 / NO 4, JANUARY 30, 2019 $1.50 (Tax included) Moose hunting numbers remain strong Gilles Gagné corrected? “We will increase the number of permits allowing CAPLAN: – The number of hunters to kill females. We will moose successfully harvested sensitize hunters to the neces- in the Gaspé Peninsula over the sity of using that permit when 2018 season dropped by they see a female. There is a 22.26%. In 2018, 4,239 convention of the Gaspé Penin- moose were harvested com- sula Association of hunters and pared to 5,453 moose in 2017. fishermen in March and we Biologist Martin Dorais, of the will explain the relevance of Department of Forest, Wildlife hunting females. It is important and Parks, assures that the for the habitat,” says Mr. Do- 2018 total remains in the aver- rais. age of the last five years. Up to 25,000 moose hunt- The number of males killed ing permits are delivered annu- reached 2,347, while the num- ally in the Gaspé Peninsula, ber of females was 1,238. The which is often referred to as number of calves harvested zone 1. was 654. “The number is stable. It re- “It was still a very good mains impressive. The number year. We have been maintain- is twice the number of permits ing that kind of pace for the last issued in the Lower Saint seven or eight years. We see a Lawrence region but the terri- strong harvest of adult males. tory is different there since In fact, 53% of the mature there is more private land than males were killed, based on the in the Gaspé Peninsula,” points inventory of 2017. It is an in- out the biologist. creased level of exploitation, The density of moose per compared to the 44% that fol- surface of 10 square kilometres lowed the inventory of 2007,” is slowly increasing in the explains Martin Dorais. Gaspé Peninsula. That 2017 inventory re- “It is 8.94 moose per 10 vealed that the number of square kilometres now. It was moose in the Gaspé Peninsula 7.9 in 2007. Our objective is 10 has reached a total of 16,052 moose per 10 square kilome- animals, consisting of 2,086 tres. That density is one half of adult males, 10,354 adult fe- the habitat’s support capacity. males and 3,612 calves. and Parks Wildlife department of Forest, Photos: Quebec’s We have seen as many as 48 “It means that mature fe- The moose herd is still in good shape in the Gaspé Peninsula but a better balance between males moose per 10 square kilome- males represent 65% of the and females would make it stronger. tres on the Matane Reserve to- total herd, despite the relatively 50% mark in 2017 and 2018. but after talking to a hunter or were not killing them. It looks wards the end of the 2000 high number of restrictive per- We had never reached that two that reluctance comes from as if traces of that are present in decade. Now, it is 33 there,” mits issued in the region allow- level before,” says the biolo- old habits. At one point, the fe- their habits. concludes Mr. Dorais. ing female hunting. That gist. males were scarce and hunters How can that situation be number of restrictive permits The 2018 total of 4,239 attained 4,300 in 2018. It also moose only includes the ani- 2018 Hunting Results: means we have more than two mals killed on public land, ex- females for one male. In fact, cluding wildlife reserves such Total Black Powder Crossbow Bow Rifle Shotgun we have five mature females as Dunière. That total com- Total 4,239 68 814 85 3,271 1 for one mature male. We know prises 532 males, 368 females Males 2,347 29 645 75 1,598 that one mature male can mate and 34 calves, for a subtotal of with more than one female, 934. When the moose hunted Females 1,238 26 117 5 117 however, we have a population on such reserves are added, the Calves 24 1 23 1 of young males and they can- total reaches 5,173 moose. not each mate with five fe- Regarding the next few males. We have a relatively years, Martin Dorais explains 2017 Hunting Results: high number of females that that efforts will be made to in- Total Black Powder Crossbow Bow Rifle Shotgun cannot find a match yearly,” crease the number of mature analyzes the biologist. females hunted on public land. Total 5,453 57 957 99 4,338 2 Ideally, the moose manage- “Over recent years, only Males 2,947 25 763 76 2,083 ment plan suggests that for 33% of the permit holders enti- every 100 mature males tled to hunt females used it. In Females 1,722 16 140 13 1,551 killed, 50 mature females 2018, it even went as low as Calves 784 16 54 10 704 2 should also go down. It is now 29%. Hunters are reluctantly the case. killing female moose. I don’t Note: Numbers are only including the moose killed on public land. In fact, 532 males, 368 females “The proportion was 45% have a study explaining the rea- and 34 calves, for a subtotal of 934, were also killed on wildlife reserves of the Gaspé Peninsula in 2016 but we surpassed the sons and I don’t hunt moose for a regional grand total of 5,173 moose. GLASS RECYCLING: A permanent project News Thierry Haroun people put in their blue bin has briefs been recycled, cleaned, GRAND RIVER: - The glass processed and used in multiple recycling pilot project that ways. “We use the processed Positive meetings between was inaugurated in July of glass for landscaping, pedes- fishermen’s helpers and Unifor 2017 has now become a per- trians pathways, also as fill- manent department at the ings in construction work and Thierry Haroun Grande River Recycling Plant. lately the towns of Grand GASPÉ PENINSULA: - Unifor, a major Canadian union, organ- “We decided that it would River and Sainte-Thérèse-de- ized information sessions in our region last week for all 500 fisher- be permanent because of its Gaspé have been using it dur- men’s helpers between Gaspé and Carleton in order to regroup success, to say the least!” ex- ing road snowplowing. them in what will be called a Unifor Community Section. The ses- plains executive director of Actually, it replaces the sand. sions were very constructive, confirms Unifor spokesperson, John the plant, Nathalie Drapeau. It’s a pilot project we’ve tried Caluori, adding that the next step will be at the political level. Since the implementation of with these two municipalities Spec’s journalist met with Mr. Caluori following the meeting held this $800,000 initiative, fi- and up until now the recycled at Ste-Thérèse-de-Gaspé where close to ten fishermen’s helpers nanced by many partners, no glass on roads is responding were present. The other meetings were held in Fox River, Paspébiac Photo: T. Haroun less than 500 tons of glass that well to our objectives.” Recycled glass pathway. and Newport. The main objective for the regroupment is to provide fishermen’s helpers with a better bargaining stance to negotiate their working conditions and a stronger political force when asking the A wharf at the end of its life Quebec government to change the work law in order to facilitate an eventual unionization of those workers. “These information ses- Ariane Aubert Bonn sion ended being very constructive and positive. It wasn’t the first time that we meet with those workers. But to be clear, they told us NEWPORT: - Newport’s the same things we’ve heard before, such as being faced with injus- wharf needs major repairs. tice. They have no spokesperson, no association, no voice whatso- The Port Authority is asking ever and that’s that we intend to do, which is to fill in that gap and Minister Diane Lebouthillier represent them before the industry to make sure that their voice is for a commitment to its reha- heard at the bargaining table,” Mr. Caluori told Spec in a short in- bilitation. terview. The wharf is aging. Some “To be honest with you, we were surprised at the attention we sections are now condemned had in the public place, through the media to a point that we re- or inaccessible to land vehi- ceived a phone call by the Association des Capitaines Propriétaires de la cles because of damage to the Gaspésie (an association representing boat owners of the region). We infrastructure. There is normal spoke with them over the phone and we intend to meet them in the wear but in the coming years near future. By the way, we have nothing against the owners, all we the wharf will continue to de- intend to do is make sure that their workers have a say at the table.” teriorate. Work is needed to re- John Caluori also confirmed that his union will meet all three sume full use of the premises. Gaspésie and Magdalen Islands MNA’s (Sylvain Roy, Meganne Perry Melançon and Joël Arsenault) to inform them of the issue. The Different use meeting should take place on February 7. Photo: A. Bonn Ready to talk In the fall, the federal gov- Newport Port Authority vice president Luc Legresley believes it Spec reached the executive director of the Association des Capi- ernment announced an is time to fully update the wharf to maintain local economic ac- taines Propriétaires de la Gaspésie, Jean-Pierre Couillard.

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