Results of the first aerial survey of Moose Management Area 92

Moose are a relatively new resident to Labrador after expanding their range from adjacent Quebec beginning in the 1950’s. Since this time, moose have been seen increasingly farther north, and Inuit Knowledge indicates that moose densities began to increase in Nunatsiavut, Labrador within the past few decades. With the precipitous decline and subsequent harvesting ban for the George River caribou herd, moose are becoming an important staple in northern diets, and are playing a significant role in increasing food security for Inuit in the region. Harvest, however, has remained conservative since the beginning of regulation in 2011 because little was known about the abundance or population dynamics of moose in the Nunatsiavut region. In order to address this knowledge gap, the Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-Management Board initiated an Inuit Knowledge study and began a monitoring program for moose in Nunatsiavut, utilizing aerial surveys and harvest data to help inform total allowable harvest decisions.