Aerial surveys of greater white-fronted geese, Canada geese, and tundra swans on the mainland of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Western Canadian Arctic, 1989-1993

Aboriginal people of the region, the Inuvialuit, rely on waterfowl for subsistence harvest and, by their land claim agreement, are assured of preferential rights to the allowable harvest of the migratory birds in the region. Information on bird numbers, distribution, habitat requirements, survival, and productivity is needed to determine if current local and international harvest levels are sustainable and to ensure that populations are conserved for the long-term use of the Inuvialuit and other people residing or hunting within the migratory range of these species. From 1989 to 1993, we carried out aerial surveys of waterfowl on the mainland of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region to determine the numbers, distribution, and productivity of greater white-fronted geese, Canada geese, and tundra swans in the region. The data so gathered provide an important baseline against which the future status of the populations can be assessed.