Newfoundland's Moose Population: A Century of Ecological Impact and Management

Moose occur naturally in Labrador but not on the island of Newfoundland.

More than a century ago, Newfoundland, an island in Canada, introduced just a handful of moose to its forests to create hunting opportunities and provide a reliable source of meat. The animals multiplied into one of the largest moose populations in North America and permanently reshape the island's forests. The story began in 1878, when moose were first brought to the island, and continued in 1904 with the release of four more animals. Over the following decades, the population grew rapidly. With abundant food, almost no natural predators and vast forests to roam, the animals spread across the island much faster than expected. Today, wildlife managers say the moose are an important part of Newfoundland's culture and economy, but they also serve as a reminder of what can happen when a species grows beyond what its habitat can support. The province's 2022-2026 Moose Management Plan explains how the population expanded, why it later declined and how science is now helping keep the animals and their habitat in balance.

Why moose population grew quickly

Moose occur naturally in Labrador but not on the island of Newfoundland. According to the management plan, the introduced animals found ideal conditions after arriving on the island. There were no other large plant-eating animals competing for the same food. At the same time, wolves, the moose's main natural predator, had almost disappeared and the Newfoundland wolf became extinct around 1930. Young forests created by natural disturbances also provided plenty of fresh vegetation for the animals to eat. These favourable conditions allowed the population to increase rapidly. By the late 1950s, the island's moose population is estimated to have reached between 150,000 and 200,000, giving Newfoundland one of the highest moose densities in the world.

Moose changed forests

Moose are large animals that eat huge amounts of vegetation every day. An adult moose consumes around 20 to 30 kilograms of plants daily. Across Newfoundland, that adds up to about one million tonnes of plant material every year. The animals mainly feed on young trees, shrubs and other new growth that are also essential for forests to regenerate. Wildlife managers explain that forests can only produce a limited amount of food. When the number of moose becomes too high, they begin eating vegetation faster than it can grow back. Scientists call this the habitat's carrying capacity, meaning the maximum number of animals the land can support without being damaged. Once that limit is crossed, both the forests and the moose population begin to suffer.

Category I –1.0 moose per km2, Category I – 1.5 moose per km2, and Category I – 2.0 moose per km2

The first major decline

By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the island was already showing signs of over-browsing, where moose had eaten too much vegetation in many areas. Localised overhunting in some regions added to the problem. Although records from that period are limited, the management plan says the population may have fallen to less than 50,000 by the early 1970s. The decline prompted the provincial government to introduce an area-based quota system in 1973, allowing wildlife managers to control hunting in different regions according to local conditions. That system is still used today. The new approach helped reduce hunting pressure where moose numbers were already low while allowing greater harvests in areas where populations remained high. As habitats slowly recovered, the moose population also began to increase again.

History repeats in 1990s

Over the next 25 years, moose numbers rose once more. Commercial forestry also created young forests that provided fresh food for the animals. By the 1990s, the population had again crossed 150,000. However, scientists say the island's forests could not continue supporting such large numbers. Unlike the sharp crash seen in the 1960s, wildlife managers had already started increasing hunting quotas in many areas to reduce pressure on habitats. As a result, the second decline was less severe. Between the mid-1990s and 2012, the island's moose population fell by about 25 per cent. According to the management plan, the decline happened even in areas where hunting was not allowed, suggesting that habitat limitations, rather than hunting alone, were responsible.

Finding balance

The management plan estimates that Newfoundland's moose population is now about 110,000. Officials say the goal is not to return to the record numbers of the past but to maintain a healthy balance between moose, forests and people. Managers monitor populations using aerial surveys, hunter reports, jawbone collection programmes and other scientific information. These tools help estimate population size, breeding success, habitat conditions and harvest levels before hunting quotas are set for each management area. Different parts of the province also have different population targets. Areas close to major highways and population centres are managed for lower moose densities to help reduce the risk of vehicle collisions, while other regions are managed according to local habitat conditions.