Peary caribou and barren-ground caribou COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 20

Appendix 1. Population Estimates

Table 5. Population estimates for the Melville and Bathurst Island complexes
Year MelvilleTable notea
Estimated
MelvilleTable notea
Calculated
Prince PatrickTable notea
Estimated
Prince PatrickTable notea
Calculated
Bathurst Island complexes
Estimated
Bathurst Island complexes
Calculated
1961
12799
12799
5001
5001
3608
1962
 
11845
 
4464
 
2952
1963
 
10962
 
3985
 
2416
1964
 
10145
 
3558
 
1977
1965
 
9389
 
3176
 
1617
1966
 
8689
 
2835
 
1323
1967
 
8041
 
2531
 
1083
1968
 
7442
 
2259
 
886
1969
 
6887
 
2017
 
725
1970
 
6373
 
1800
 
593
1971
 
5898
 
1607
 
485
1972
2500
5459
 
1435
 
397
1973
3500
5052
790
1281
 
325
1974
1600
4675
630
1143
266
1975
 
4327
 
1021
 
291
1976
 
4004
 
911
 
319
1977
 
3706
 
813
 
350
1978
 
3429
 
726
 
383
1979
 
3174
 
648
 
420
1980
 
2937
 
579
 
460
1981
 
2718
 
516
 
504
1982
 
2516
 
461
 
553
1983
 
2328
 
412
 
606
1984
 
2155
 
367
 
663
1985
 
1994
 
328
727
1986
 
1845
181
293
 
851
1987
729
1708
 
261
 
997
1988
 
1580
 
233
1167
1989
 
1463
 
208
 
1367
1990
 
1354
 
186
 
1601
1991
 
1253
 
166
 
1875
1992
 
1159
 
148
 
2195
1993
 
1073
 
132
2571
1994
 
993
 
118
3011
1995
 
919
 
105
 
2183
1996
 
850
 
94
 
452
1997
787
787
84
84
78
1998
 
 
 
 
 
108
1999
 
 
 
 
 
150
2000
 
 
 
 
 
208
2001
 
 
 
 
289

Bold font indicates the years used in trend calculations. Most estimates are for total caribou.

Table 6. Population estimates for the Eastern Queen Elizabeth Islands
Year Estimated Calculated
1961
1482
1962
 
1466
1963
 
1450
1964
 
1434
1965
 
1419
1966
 
1403
1967
 
1388
1968
 
1373
1969
 
1358
1970
 
1343
1971
 
1329
1972
 
1314
1973
 
1300
1974
 
1286
1975
 
1272
1976
 
1258
1977
 
1244
1978
 
1231
1979
 
1217
1980
 
1204
1981
 
1191
1982
 
1178
1983
 
1165
1984
 
1153
1985
 
1140
1986
 
1128
1987
 
1115
1988
 
1103
1989
 
1091
1990
 
1079
1991
 
1068
1992
 
1056
1993
 
1045
1994
 
1033
1995
 
1022
1996
 
1011
1997
1000

Bold font indicates the years used in trend calculations. Estimates are for total caribou.

 

Table 7. Population estimates for Banks Island and northwestern Victoria Island
Year Banks IslandTable notef
Estimated
Banks IslandTable notef
Calculated
Northwestern Victoria IslandTable noteg
Estimated
Northwestern Victoria IslandTable noteg
Calculated
1972
12098
12098
 
 
1973
 
11987
 
 
1974
 
11877
 
 
1975
 
11768
 
 
1976
 
11661
 
 
1977
 
11554
 
 
1978
 
11448
 
 
1979
 
11343
 
 
1980
 
11239
4512
4512
1981
 
11136
 
4351
1982
11034
11034
 
4196
1983
 
9156
 
4047
1984
 
7598
 
3902
1985
4931
6305
 
3763
1986
 
5232
 
3629
1987
4251
4342
3500
3500
1988
 
3603
 
1978
1989
2641
2990
 
1118
1990
 
2481
 
632
1991
 
2059
 
357
1992
1469
1709
 
202
1993
 
1418
114
114
1994
800
1177
6 caribou Table noteh
146
1995
 
976
 
186
1996
 
810
 
238
1997
 
672
 
305
1998
558
558
389
1999
 
791
 
498
2000
 
1120
 
637
2001
1587
1587
814

Bold font indicates the years used in trend calculations. Most estimates are for total caribou.

Table 8. Population estimates for the Dolphin and Union Herd
Year EstimatedTable notej Calculated
1980
3424
3,424
1981
 
3,873
1982
 
4,380
1983
 
4,954
1984
 
5,604
1985
 
6,338
1986
 
7,169
1987
 
8,109
1988
 
9,171
1989
 
10,373
1990
 
11,733
1991
 
13,271
1992
 
15,010
1993
 
16,978
1994
14529
19,203
1995
 
21,720
1996
 
24,566
1997
27786
27,786

Bold font indicates the years used in trend calculations. Estimates are for total caribou.

Table 9. Population estimates for Prince of Wales Island, Russell Island, Somerset Island, and Northern Boothia Peninsula
Year Prince of Wales, Russell and Somerset Islands:
Estimated
Prince of Wales Russell and Somerset Islands:
Calculated
Northern Boothia Peninsula:
Estimated
Northern Boothia Peninsula:
Calculated
1974
5516
556
556
1975
4383
1890
1890
1976
 
4673
 
2076
1977
 
4983
 
2281
1978
 
5314
 
2505
1979
 
5666
 
2751
1980
6043
 
3022
1981
 
4443
 
3320
1982
 
3267
 
3646
1983
 
2402
 
4005
1984
 
1766
 
4399
1985
 
1299
4831
1986
 
955
 
4655
1987
 
702
 
4485
1988
 
516
 
4321
1989
 
380
 
4163
1990
 
279
 
4011
1991
 
205
 
3865
1992
 
151
 
3724
1993
 
111
 
3588
1994
 
82
 
3457
1995
60
3331

Bold font indicates the years used in trend calculations. Most estimates are for total caribou.

Table 10. Calculated population trends
Year Melville Prince Patrick Banks Island Complex sum (Σ) Western Queen Elizabeth Island (QEI) Eastern QEI ΣQEI Banks Northwestern Victoria Island (NWV) Σ
Banks
+
NWV
Prince of Wales/
Somerset
Boothia Σ All Peary Dolphin and Union
First count
12,799
5,001
3,608
24,320
1,482
25,802
12,098
4,512
16,610
5516
556
48,484
100,000
1961
12799
5001
3608
24,320
1,482
25,845
 
 
 
 
 
46,522
 
1962
11845
4464
2952
21,401
1,466
22,867
 
 
 
 
 
44,639
 
1963
10962
3985
2416
18,833
1,450
20,283
 
 
 
 
 
42,832
 
1964
10145
3558
1977
16,572
1,434
18,007
 
 
 
 
 
41,099
 
1965
9389
3176
1617
14,584
1,419
16,002
 
 
 
 
 
39,436
 
1966
8689
2835
1323
12,833
1,403
14,236
 
 
 
 
 
37,839
 
1967
8041
2531
1083
11,293
1,388
12,681
 
 
 
 
 
36,308
 
1968
7442
2259
886
9,938
1,373
11,311
 
 
 
 
 
34,839
 
1969
6887
2017
725
8,745
1,358
10,103
 
 
 
 
 
33,428
 
1970
6373
1800
593
7,695
1,343
9,039
 
 
 
 
 
32,076
 
1971
5898
1607
485
6,772
1,329
8,100
 
 
 
 
 
30,777
 
1972
5459
1435
397
5,959
1,314
7,273
12,098
 
 
 
 
29,532
 
1973
5052
1281
325
5,244
1,300
6,544
11,987
 
 
 
 
28,336
 
1974
4675
1143
266
2,676
1,286
3,962
11,877
 
 
5516
556
27,190
 
1975
4327
1021
291
2,575
1,272
3,846
11,768
 
 
4383
1890
26,089
 
1976
4004
911
319
2,477
1,258
3,735
11,661
 
 
4673
2076
25,033
 
1977
3706
813
350
2,383
1,244
3,627
11,554
 
 
4983
2281
24,020
 
1978
3429
726
383
2,293
1,231
3,523
11,448
 
 
5314
2505
23,048
 
1979
3174
648
420
2,206
1,217
3,423
11,343
 
 
5666
2751
22,115
 
1980
2937
579
460
2,122
1,204
3,326
11,239
4512
15,751
6,043
3022
28,142
3,424
1981
2718
516
504
2,042
1,191
3,233
11,136
4351
15,751
4,443
3320
26,747
3,873
1982
2516
461
553
1,964
1,178
3,142
11,034
4196
15,487
3,267
3646
25,543
4,380
1983
2328
412
606
1,890
1,165
3,055
9,156
4047
15,230
2,402
4005
24,692
4,954
1984
2155
367
663
1,818
1,153
2,971
7,598
3902
13,203
1,766
4399
22,339
5,604
1985
1994
328
727
1,749
1,140
2,889
6,305
3763
11,501
1,299
4831
20,520
6,338
1986
1845
293
851
1,683
1,128
2,811
5,232
3629
10,069
955
4654
18,489
7,169
1987
1708
261
997
1,619
1,115
2,734
4,342
3500
8,862
702
4484
16,783
8,109
1988
1580
233
1167
1,558
1,103
2,661
3,603
1978
7,842
516
4320
15,340
9,171
1989
1463
208
1367
1,499
1,091
2,590
2,990
1118
5,581
380
4162
12,713
10,373
1990
1354
186
1601
1,442
1,079
2,521
2,481
632
4,108
279
4010
10,919
11,733
1991
1253
166
1875
1,387
1,068
2,455
2,059
357
3,113
205
3864
9,637
13,271
1992
1159
148
2195
1,335
1,056
2,391
1,709
202
2,416
151
3722
8,680
15,010
1993
1073
132
2667
1,284
1,045
2,329
1,418
114
1,910
111
3586
7,936
16,978
1994
993
118
3011
1,235
1,033
2,269
1,177
146
1,532
82
3455
7,337
19,203
1995
919
105
2100
1,188
1,022
2,210
976
186
1,322
60
3329
6,922
21,720
1996
850
94
452
1,143
1,011
2,154
810
238
1,163
 
 
7,115
24,566
1997
787
84
78
1,100
1,000
2,100
672
305
1,049
 
 
7,313
27,786
1998
 
 
108
 
 
 
558
389
977
 
 
7,517
 
1999
 
 
150
 
 
 
791
498
947
 
 
7,726
 
2000
 
 
208
 
 
 
1,120
637
1,289
 
 
7,942
 
2001
787
84
289
1,100
1,000
2,100
1,587
814
2,401
60
3,329
7,890
27,786
Last Count:
Change since 1980
-73%
-85%
-37%
-48%
-17%
-37%
-86%
-82%
-85%
-99%
10%
-72%
712%
Change since first count
-94%
-98%
-92%
-95%
-33%
-92%
-87%
-82%
-86%
-99%
498%
-84%
-72%

Table 10 notes

  • Actual estimates are shown in bold font, between which the trends are calculated as exponential rates of increase or decrease.
  • Values are for all caribou including calves except as noted below. Data are from Tables 5 to 9 except 1961 first counts for EQEI and WQEI, which are from Tener (1963), the first count for Dolphin and Union, which is from Manning (1960), and the ΣWQEI, which is from Miller and Gunn (i2003b).
  • The estimates for NW Victoria for 1997 and 2001 have been omitted because they were found to include an unknown number of Dolphin and Union caribou (see text and Table 7).
  • The "last count" for Prince of Wales–Somerset is a guess, as no quantifiable estimate was possible.
  • Estimates for the Melville and Prince Patrick islands complexes are for 1+ year old adults.
  • The Last Count row uses the most recent estimate or sum. The range of estimates for "All Peary" is 5998 to 9092.

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