Southampton Island

Herd size estimate: 12,651 (2023)

Southampton Island is the largest island in Hudson Bay. The current population of barren-ground caribou is descended from 48 animals brought to the island in 1968, after all of the original caribou on the island had disappeared in the early 1950s. The lack of genetic diversity in the herd is thought to have contributed to an outbreak of brucellosis. The disease increased in the herd in the early 2000s, but is thought to have subsided more recently. The herd is harvested by hunters from Coral Habour, the only community on the island, with a population of just over 1,000. There is a total allowable harvest of 1,000 caribou per year.  A recent report raises concerns that hunting of the caribou for sale is becoming a problem for the herd's sustainability. "Over-harvest has become a dominant threat to the long-term sustainability of this population. In particular, ongoing caribou harvest for trade or sale within Nunavut territory, is suspected of driving harvest levels beyond subsistence requirements..."

The information on this herd is taken from a Nunavut Environment Department report (Campbell and Boulanger 2024).