Temporary Suspension of Cape Breton Moose Hunt

The Province is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years because of a significant drop in the population. The Mi’kmaq are also putting a moratorium on their rights-based moose harvest until population numbers are sustainable.

“We recognize the importance of the moose population to both our cultural heritage and ecosystem. This decision was not taken lightly, and we understand there will be disappointment,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “Suspending licences for the Cape Breton moose hunt will allow us to implement necessary conservation measures to safeguard the future of moose in Cape Breton.”

The Department and the Mi’kmaq work closely together to manage the Cape Breton moose population. They periodically conduct aerial surveys over the Cape Breton Highlands to study the moose population. The 2024 survey showed a significant drop in the estimated population, from about 1,500 to about 835.

The Department typically issues 345 licences through a moose license lottery each spring. Suspending both the licensed hunt and the rights-based harvest is expected to help the population start recovering to more sustainable numbers.

Hunting, disease and climate change are factors that could be contributing to the decline. The Department and the Mi’kmaq will continue to work closely with local communities to better understand the factors and develop a plan for the population’s recovery following established legal principles.

Since 2019 when the first notable drop in the moose population occurred, conservation measures have been introduced. They include:

• permitting only bull moose in last year’s hunt
• collecting biological samples at a collaborative moose management check station
• deterring moose poaching by banning firearms for bear hunting and pausing the bear hunt for two weeks each season in moose management zones
• providing antlerless deer licences and bonus stamps in specific deer management zones to help lower deer numbers and reduce the spread of brain worm to the moose population.

Quotes:

“We are all extremely concerned with the decline in the moose population. There is little debate that harvesting moose this year could completely jeopardize the population and risk recovery. We have engaged with harvesters, knowledge holders, elders and youth to discuss what we must do to ensure recovery of this important species.”
— Chief Gerald Toney, Co-Lead of Natural Resources, Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs

“Stewardship and conservation are not only priorities, but responsibilities of our treaties. As co-managers of the resources, our focus will now be on how to protect the species and how we can work together on population recovery.”
— Chief Leroy Denny, Co-Lead of Natural Resources, Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs

Quick Facts:

• the Cape Breton moose hunt usually takes place in five moose management zones in Victoria and Inverness counties; there is no hunt on the mainland because the mainland moose population is endangered
• the suspension of the hunt means there will be no moose lottery this year
• while the Mi’kmaq have constitutionally protected rights to harvest moose for food, social and ceremonial purposes, those rights are secondary to conservation
• prior to the 1940s, native moose became extinct in Cape Breton; 18 moose were introduced in the late 1940s to repopulate the species
• organizations such as Kwilmu'kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada have all been involved in the annual moose surveys

Additional Resources:

Cape Breton moose population data: https://novascotia.ca/natr/wildlife/sustainable/pdf/moose-survey-summary.pdf

KMK: https://mikmaqrights.com/

Hunting in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/natr/hunt/

Hunt Nova Scotia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092347262725

Natural Resources and Renewables on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR

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