Black bears declined in parts of Ont., new research shows. How that could impact hunting is a bigger question

The achromatic carnivore colonisation successful Ontario has seen important declines successful a fewer areas of the province, according to a caller colonisation survey conducted by authorities researchers, raising concerns astir the wellness of the bears and the interaction of hunting them.

The probe utilized DNA sampling to much accurately estimation the carnivore colonisation passim the province. The colonisation survey recovered important declines successful the carnivore populations successful an country northbound of Sudbury, Ont., and adjacent Thunder Bay, Ont. Declines ranged from 20 to 40 per cent, though determination is uncertainty implicit the nonstop percentages. 

But declines astatine those levels were "likely related to quality caused mortality either done struggle oregon harvest," said Joe Northrup, probe idiosyncratic astatine Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources, referring to human-bear conflicts and hunting. He shared details from the probe with CBC News, which is based connected antecedently published and peer-reviewed methodology.

In different parts of the province, carnivore populations remained unchangeable oregon rose. Areas successful and astir Algonquin Provincial Park, astir 300 kilometres northbound of Toronto, saw astir a 70 per cent summation successful bears, according to Northrup, who is starring the monolithic effort to number achromatic bears. 

Bears are not considered to beryllium threatened oregon endangered anyplace successful the province, Northrup said, and the large question is what to bash with the caller data.

The caller colonisation numbers are adding to the statement implicit the outpouring carnivore hunt successful Ontario, which has agelong been a flashpoint betwixt the hunting and tourism assemblage and conservation groups.

There was nary outpouring hunt during the past colonisation count, but it was brought backmost successful arsenic a aviator successful 2015, aft which the caller number began. In 2021, the Ontario authorities made the outpouring hunt permanent, adjacent arsenic carnivore advocates continued raising concerns implicit its interaction connected carnivore numbers. 

Counting elusive achromatic bears

Northrup heads up a laboratory astatine Trent University successful Peterborough, Ont., that researches quality impacts connected a scope of wildlife similar moose, elk and bears.

For the achromatic carnivore colonisation survey, researchers acceptable up hundreds of bait stations from 2017 to 2022 crossed Ontario, investigating tens of thousands of samples of DNA from carnivore hairs collected from the stations successful the monolithic effort. They past compared the numbers with erstwhile sampling done successful 2004 to 2011.

"We privation to marque definite that there's achromatic bears astir for each the antithetic societal values and taste values and ecological values that they supply for Ontarians," Northrup said of the mostly elusive species, which avoids humans and lives successful heavy forests.

Figuring retired however galore bears the state has is 1 thing, but Mark Ryckman, a wildlife biologist and manager of argumentation astatine the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, says a bully starting constituent would beryllium to really fig retired however galore bears the state wants to have.

"Without that information, grounds of a colonisation diminution isn't precise utile due to the fact that we don't cognize what we privation to bash with that information," helium said.

Ryckman pointed retired that colonisation targets beryllium for moose, for example, developed by studying their value to section civilization and Indigenous traditions, hunting and recreation and their interaction connected different taxon successful the ecosystem.

With colonisation objectives, the authorities tin instrumentality measures to scope those targets erstwhile aft it surveys a taxon similar the moose.

"Sometimes it's astir either expanding oregon reducing harvest. Sometimes it's astir tailoring the ratio of bull moose versus cattle moose that are harvested," Ryckman said, adding without that colonisation objective, the "full picture" was not disposable yet for the achromatic bears.

Spring carnivore hunt

Ontario has 2 carnivore hunting seasons — the outpouring hunt, which has begun and runs until June successful parts of the province, and the autumn hunt, which is really larger. The outpouring carnivore hunt was estimated to lend $50 cardinal per twelvemonth to the tourism system of bluish Ontario, and the existent worth is astir apt more, Ryckman said. 

But the outpouring hunt has been much controversial, due to the fact that it's a clip erstwhile parent bears person young cubs. The mothers are susceptible during this clip due to the fact that they are gathering nutrient and caring for them, portion the cubs are susceptible due to the fact that they are excessively young to past if they suffer their mother.

Concerns implicit the bears during this play led to the authorities cancelling the outpouring hunt successful 1999. But advocacy from hunters and tourism groups, which reason that the hunt tin beryllium done sustainably portion providing a boost to the bluish Ontario economy, led to the state bringing it backmost successful 2015.

Hunters are prohibited from sidesplitting pistillate bears with cubs, but critics accidental contempt the rules, it's not casual to accurately place a parent carnivore successful the wild, particularly earlier successful the play erstwhile cubs are stashed successful a histrion portion the pistillate carnivore wanders done the wood alone, looking for food.

"From a distance, it's astir intolerable to archer if the carnivore is simply a female, a parent carnivore with cubs, oregon a young, tiny big male," said Mike McIntosh, who runs a carnivore sanctuary adjacent Huntsville, Ont., that takes successful orphaned bears separated from their mothers.

But Ryckman argues that hunters person options to accurately place a mother. He says astir hunters usage bait sites and show them implicit time, either successful idiosyncratic oregon done way cameras.

Shane Moffatt, conservation campaigns and advocacy manager astatine Ontario Nature, said bringing backmost the outpouring hunt was "bad argumentation based connected shaky science," since the authorities does not person the afloat representation of its impacts connected the carnivore population.

"I deliberation we're past the constituent successful our society, fixed the planetary unit connected taxon worldwide, to beryllium taking the cognition that important reductions successful numbers of chaotic taxon is acceptable," Moffatt said.

"It's truly important that, erstwhile we spot taxon are opening to decline, we enactment successful that infinitesimal and we not hold until the concern gets adjacent worse."

In a statement, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources said determination were nary changes planned to outpouring carnivore hunt this year, and that information bespeak that "the achromatic carnivore colonisation is unchangeable astatine the provincial level." 

"The ministry continues to show achromatic carnivore populations and harvest levels and uses this accusation for ongoing reappraisal of the province's policies for achromatic carnivore management," the ministry said.

Northrup said the carnivore colonisation survey is going to beryllium turned into a regular monitoring program, wherever his squad volition revisit the probe sites and beryllium capable to way colonisation changes implicit time. They volition besides usage the information to get a amended knowing of the question patterns of bears, each to assistance pass the government's carnivore absorption policies into the future.