Alberta Wildlife Federation hopes a fix is coming for allocation of province’s big-game wildlife tags

Just under a year after releasing a detailed report with recommendations on how Alberta’s wildlife tags should be allocated to hunters, the Alberta Wildlife Federation has been encouraged by the provincial government’s response. “It took a while before we saw much action, traction or discussion…but in the last couple of months, we’ve seen a lot of forward progress,” says Kelly Carter, the AWF’s CEO.

In particular, Carter says he and other members of the AWF executive had a very positive meeting in mid-September with officials from the province’s Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas, and the Hunting and Fishing Branch. “We had a really good robust discussion with regards to the tag allocation report,” he says. “We were able to talk about all of the concerns that we identified in the report, and the need for action from them.”

One of the key initiatives that now appears underway is the establishment of a mechanism to provide stakeholder feedback to the government regarding wildlife and allocations. “That’s something that’s been missing in Alberta for a long time,” Carter says. “We’re very pleased to hear that they’re going to be putting a mechanism in place to revise that.”

That will likely mean the establishment of an advisory group comprising stakeholders with an interest in the province’s fish and wildlife, such as the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Alberta Bowhunters Association, as well as agricultural societies and landowners.

As to how the tags will be distributed, the province says it’s working on reviewing the allocations available to everyone, Carter says. “In the past, it’s been one lever that we’ve seen government pulling, which has been allocations for resident hunters,” he says. “In reality, we need to see all levers utilized when it comes to wildlife management. We’ve heard that they’re prepared to do that, which is a positive step forward.”

Learn more about the AWF’s programs and positions at www.albertawildlifefederation.ca.