Yukon Hunting - Department of Environment - Government of Yukon

How You Can Help Wildlife Studies
Northern Contaminant Program: Testing Yukon Wildlife
For many years the Northern Contaminant Program monitored contaminant levels in
Yukon moose and caribou. The major conclusions:
u Mammals, birds, and plants in Yukon are largely free from contamination.
u Some animals have elevated levels of cadmium in their organs.
u Cadmium levels in Yukon moose and caribou appear to be stable over time.
u Mercury fluctuates over time in caribou organs, but over the long term is remaining
stable in the Porcupine Caribou Herd.
As a result of these studies, the Northern Contaminant Program determined
that contaminant levels in Yukon moose and woodland caribou did not warrant
further testing. The NCP will focus research on those areas where there are greater
contaminant concerns, or where research can help us understand how contaminants
act in the environment.
Recommendations for Consumption
These recommendations are based on eating these amounts every year. If you don’t eat
any this year, you can eat twice as much next year and remain within the recommended
limits.
u Caribou and moose meat are very nutritious, and there is no limit on the amount
of meat (muscle) recommended for consumption.
u Health Canada has issued recommendations for consumption of organ
meats based on concentrations of metals found in some Yukon wildlife. The
recommendations vary with the type of animal and the herd. For caribou, the
recommendation ranges from a maximum of 7-32 kidneys/person/year, or 4-16
livers/person/year. The recommended limit for moose liver or kidney is
1/person/year.
u Tobacco contains much higher levels of cadmium than animal sources. Reducing
or eliminating smoking is the most effective way of limiting cadmium intake.
For more information about contaminants in wildlife, please contact your local
Environment Yukon office or the Yukon Contaminant Committee at (867) 667-3283.
Contaminant Testing of the Porcupine Caribou Herd
The Northern Contaminant Program is now accepting samples (kidney, liver, muscle
and tooth) from the Porcupine Caribou Herd ONLY.
The Northern Contaminant Program has been measuring mercury in this herd every
year since 1994, and we see that levels cycle up and down over the years. Although
levels of mercury are not high enough to cause concern for the caribou (or those eating
caribou meat), continuing to monitor them will help us to understand what is driving
that cycle up and down. This, in turn, will help researchers understand how mercury
moves around in the Arctic and may even allow predictions of how things like climate
change may affect mercury in caribou and other Arctic wildlife.
If you have a successful Porcupine caribou hunt this season, please deliver the following
samples to the nearest Environment Yukon office:
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