While the caribou population on the island of Newfoundland is about a third what it was 15 years ago, a government report on the declining numbers says the animals are not in danger of extinction.

Environment and Conservation Minister Dan Crummell released the report Tuesday, summarizing five years of research.

The report said the number of caribou on the island has declined from a peak of about 94,000 animals in the late 1990s to approximately 32,000 in 2013, because there were too many animals and too little food.

"The caribou study determined that the population decline occurred because the peak population was unsustainably high," said Crummell in a news release.

"Evidence suggests that food quality and/or availability was the primary limiting factor," the study concluded.

The caribou population in Newfoundland may remain low for the next few decades, but is expected to rebound eventually. (Submitted by Sherry Jesso)

It went on to say that caribou became smaller, and female caribou began to search for food in areas where they were more likely to encounter predators, such as bear or coyote.

The study said the rate of population decline has slowed and calf survival has improved from a few years ago, when less than five per cent of calves lived beyond six months.

It cautioned that numbers may remain low for a few decades, but predicted the population will start to rise again, once food resources recover.

The study said neither hunting nor development are to blame for the caribou decline, adding the population would have declined even if no hunting took place, and most caribou habitat in the province is still relatively intact.