For the fifth year in a row, the Province has suspended the annual grizzly bear hunt in an attempt to allow grizzly populations to regenerate.
According to
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) spokesperson Darcy Whiteside, there is no area in the province which could sustain a grizzly hunt.
“Our goal is to actually bring the population back, and we believe that is achievable,” said Whiteside. “We will not initiate a hunt unless we can be certain it is sustainable.”
In June 2010, grizzlies were designated as a threatened species in Alberta, after only approximately 691 were found to be living in wilderness areas outside of national parks in 2009.
Whiteside said it is difficult to determine an exact number, and that it is also difficult to ascertain whether that number is increasing, decreasing or remaining stable.
He said there are many factors which affect grizzly populations, such as hunting, gender and age ratios, human interaction, and shared populations with B.C. and Manitoba.
“These are all aspects which are set out in the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, which details the certain criteria that has to be met before we would adopt a hunt again,” said Whiteside.
