Remove compulsory inspection requirement for moose in the Skeena region

The public is invited to comment on the proposed hunting regulation described below.

Status: Proposed

Region: Region 6, Skeena

Management unit (MU): Region-wide

Regulation type: Hunting

Species: Moose

Closing date: February 13, 2026 at 4:30 pm PT

Current regulation:

Hunters must submit parts of moose harvested in MUs 6-1 to 6-11, 6-15, 6-17 to 6-30, and that portion of MU 7-52 accessed by the Skeena region for compulsory inspection.

Proposed regulation:

Remove the compulsory inspection requirement to submit parts of moose harvested in MUs 6-1 to 6-11, 6-15, 6-17 to 6-30, and that portion of MU 7-52 accessed by the Skeena region.

Rationale:

Skeena region moose harvest data is collected through the hunter sample survey, limited entry hunter survey, guide outfitter declarations, compulsory inspection, and mandatory hunter reporting. Compulsory inspections for moose have been in place in the Skeena region for between 5 to 15 years, depending on the management unit, and is now redundant because it collects the same information as mandatory hunter reporting.

The objective of this proposal is to simplify moose harvest data collection in the Skeena region by eliminating redundant compulsory inspection reporting requirements in favour of data collection methods that have higher compliance, require less resource investment, and are of improved data quality in mandatory hunter reporting.

Compulsory inspection was implemented in some Skeena region MUs beginning in 2010, with all Skeena MUs requiring compulsory inspection as of 2020. The Skeena region is responsible for approximately 750 moose inspections annually. Moose compulsory inspections from the Skeena region account for over half of all moose compulsory inspections in B.C. The operational planning and delivery of the compulsory inspection program through contractors and regional biologists requires a significant amount of time and resources each year.

Mandatory hunter reporting was implemented in 2024 and requires hunters to submit information similar to that required through compulsory inspection. Mandatory hunter reporting has been envisioned as an alternative to the more onerous compulsory inspection requirements in place for some species. Additionally, mandatory hunter reporting requires all moose species licence holders to report on their hunts, whether successful or unsuccessful.

When the Skeena moose compulsory inspection requirement was first implemented, moose hunting seasons in all accessible portions of the region were open through general open seasons, which provided limited control over hunter numbers and moose harvest levels. Now, moose hunting in nearly all accessible portions of the Skeena region is managed through limited entry hunting, giving wildlife managers greater control over hunter density and how many moose are authorized for harvest. Mandatory hunter reporting for moose is now also in place and provides another reliable source of harvest data going forward.

As a result, the information collected through compulsory inspection is now of limited value for wildlife management and does not justify the burden on hunters or wildlife staff. Other sources of data are considered equally or more, reliable than compulsory inspection, and resources to deliver the compulsory inspection program are limited.

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