Annual Mi'kmaq feast held in Cape Breton despite moose hunting moratorium
For years, the Feast in the Highlands atop Hunters Mountain - just off Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail - has been a Mi'kmaq fall tradition, but this year was a bit different.
"(It) sucks that you can't hunt moose in Cape Breton this year, for three years. I'm kind of bummed out,” said Isaac Propser, a Grade 11 student from nearby We’kok’maq First Nation.
"They had been kept away from Hunters Mountain for decades, and they finally won the rights to come back and harvest moose under the treaties and under their Aboriginal rights, so it became a celebration of that,” said Mi’kmaq rights negotiator Eric Zscheile, explaining the history behind the annual feast.
Last July the Nova Scotia government and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs made the joint decision to suspend moose hunting in the Cape Breton Highlands - for Mi’kmaq hunters and non-Native licence holders alike - for the next three years due to low moose populations.
Despite the restriction, moose meat was still served to the hundreds of people at the feast on Thursday.
"One-hundred pounds, and it was a donation from one of our harvesters who harvested in 2023 and saved it for this occasion,” said Clifford Paul, a moose management coordinator with the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources.
Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton attended the event and talked with people familiar with the local habitat about possible solutions.
"I did sample some moose meat, and talked with the person who hunted the moose,” Rushton said. "We certainly need some academia assistance and some knowledge of the area as we move forward in these discussions."
Some event organizers said at this point they can only hope traditional moose meat will be served at next year’s Feast in the Highlands.
"We might not have moose on the menu next year, but we're keeping an eye. We're hopeful for a recovery,” Paul said.
The province said its 2024 survey showed a drop of nearly half in the Highlands moose population from about 1,500 to roughly 835.
"I think over the next year we'll be spending a lot of time just trying to figure out what it will take to get the moose population back to where we want it to be,” Zscheile said.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live election results: Trump elected 47th U.S. president
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, clearing the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
BREAKING Trump wins the White House in political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
PM Trudeau congratulates Donald Trump on presidential victory
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Donald Trump early Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win.
Trump's second term will look nothing like his first
Donald Trump's election victory will return him to the White House, but both his allies and detractors have made clear his second time around will look nothing like the first.
Republicans take U.S. Senate majority and eye unified power with Trump
Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate and are fighting to keep their majority in the U.S. House, which would produce a full sweep of GOP power in Congress alongside U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the White House.
Hurricane Rafael becomes a Category 2 storm as it barrels toward Cuba
Hurricane Rafael strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Wednesday just hours before it was forecast to make landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba.
'I'm still in shock': Brampton, Ont. landlord caught in e-transfer interception fraud
A Brampton, Ont. landlord says he's shocked after two e-transfers he was meant to receive were blocked from his account by scammers.
B.C. parents sue Irish nanny for quitting on short notice
Two parents filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court last week seeking damages from their former nanny, alleging she quit on short notice and "never said goodbye to the children."
Blues forward leaves rink on stretcher after being struck in neck by puck
St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway left Tuesday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning and departed the rink on a stretcher after being struck by a puck late in the first period.