STANDARDIZED MONITORING OF HERDS BODY CONDITION CARMA 7

STANDARDIZED MONITORING OF HERDS BODY CONDITION CARMA 7 30 November-3 December 2010 Vancouver, BC, Canada Robert White University of Alaska Anchorage

BREAKOUT OBJECTIVES �What is proving USEFUL? �How can we make it BETTER? �Can we make it more ACCESSIBLE? �Are there similar tools or resources out there?

WEB BASED PROTOCOLS RESOURCES http: //carmanetwork. onconflue nce. com/display/public/home FIELD PROTOCOLS BODY CONDITION ASSESSMENT ◦ This manual describes monitoring at the scale of the individual caribou and is focused on health and physical condition. ◦ The actual field protocols are presented at two levels. Level 1 Protocols (Download)  Level 2 Protocols (Download ◦ Level 1 methods that can be performed by hunters after minimal training. ◦ Level 2 protocols for intensive monitoring (require trained staff to collect and document the health and condition of individual caribou. )

CARMA MANUALS contd

SUPPORT TOOLS �VIDEO & DVD Hunter training video (Susan Kutz team) ◦ http: //www. carmanetwork. com/display/public/Hunt er+Training+Video+%28 Summary%29 �REPORTS ◦ COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING OF WILDLIFE POPULATIONS AND HEALTH IN THE SAHTU �CARIBOU – REINDEER ATLAS (Ryan Brooks)

� Bathurst Body Condition  � Chokotka Body Condition  � Taimyr Body Condition  � Lena-Olenyk Body Condition Porcupine Body Condition L 1  � Porcupine Body Condition L 3  � Bluenose West Body Condition  � Akia-Maniitsoq Body Condition  � Kangerlussuaq-Sisimiut Body Condition  � N Quebec Collections BODY CONDITION PROJECTS 

PREDICTION OF BODY FAT: APPLICATION OF THE CARMA DICHOTOMOUS KEY (Note: the key was devised from insights from an autumn collection) CARMA LEVEL 1: Measurement of backfat only Kofinas, G. , D. E. Russell and R. G. White. 2002. Monitoring Caribou Body Condition: Workshop Proceedings. Technical Report Series No. 396. Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, 31 pp.

COMPARISON OF DICHOTOMOUS KEY WITH PREDICTED BODY FAT LEVEL SPRING <1 >1 cm not inches A. Backfat depth B. Marrow Kofinas, G. , D. E. Russell and R. G. White. 2002. Monitoring Caribou Body Condition: Workshop Proceedings. Technical Report Series No. 396. Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, 31 pp.

BREAKOUT OBJECTIVES �What is proving USEFUL? �How can we make it BETTER? �Can we make it more ACCESSIBLE? �Are there similar tools or resources out there?

SUPPORT TOOLS

SOME EXAMPLES FOLLOW �APPLICATIONS FROM PREDICTION OF WHOLE BODY FAT AND PROTEIN RESERVES IN GREENLAND COLLECTION IN MARCH (Christine Cuyler) �DATA PRESENTED AT NACW IN WINNIPEG 2010

350 300 250 600 500 Warbles Bots Warble mass (g) 400 200 300 150 200 100 50 0 0 9 23 4 4 6 NP NL NP L PL Short year WARBLE AND NASAL BOT LARVAE DISTRIBUTION BY REPRODUCTIVE CLASS

~3. 2% of BF ~8 BONES 1 BONE FAT RESERVES IN INDICES

Probability of visually reporting fat indices by reproductive class PROBABILITY 1) concordance between indices is poor 2) backfat (rump) may reflect fat reserves entering winter 3) omental (gut) fat is used after rump 4) kidney fat appears to be conserved

1) pregnant animals had highest amount of fat (~6 kg) representing ~8 %BWt. 2) non-pregnant animals had 4 kg fat, representing 6. 5 %BWt. 3) short yearlings at 1 kg fat represented 5. 5 %BWt. 9. 0 %Fat 8. 0 7. 0 Fat kg 6. 0 5. 0 4. 0 3. 0 2. 0 1. 0 0. 0 9 23 4 4 6 NP NL NP L PL Short year FAT DISTRIBUTION BY REPRODUCTIVE CLASS