Right: National Parks and Wildlife Service researcher Dr Richard Kingsford: "Duck hunting is not a major conservation issue".
Arguments in favour of duck shooting in Victoria
1. Many Victorian duck species are not in decline and other threats are more significant than hunting
It has been claimed that survey work indicates that a number of duck species are not showing reduced numbers. It is suggested that the wood duck is now in greater numbers than at the time of white settlement. Wood duck are claimed to have adapted particularly well to the agricultural practises that have seen increased areas of pasture and irrigation. They now present as pests in many rural and urban area of Australia and are prolific along river and creek systems. Race and Golf course curators in particular have severe problems with these birds.
The South Australian Department of Conservation has recognised this problem and removed the bag limit on the species during the prescribed hunting season. In Tasmania, wood duck were protected until 2003 when they were added to the Game list and are now included in the hunters bag. This was a result of monitoring by the wildlife agencies that showed that numbers had increased significantly and were now creating problems for land managers by impacting on pastures, rice crops, water quality of farm dams and other storage impoundments
It has also been claimed that any reduction in duck numbers is temporary and largely dependent on climate conditions. With rains, is is argued, duck numbers will return to normal levels. This situation has been described in South Australia. Resource protection officer Tim Fraser has stated, 'In South Australia the duck population is very low. What people have to realise is that the situation can change dramatically and duck breeding is triggered by rising water. If the water keeps rising - and let's hope it does - ducks just keep breeding back to back, so the numbers can bounce back up very quickly.'
Dr Richard Kingsford of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has studied the decline of birds in wetlands for many years, said that the evidence was equivocal.
In February 2000, Dr Kingsford stated, 'Duck hunting is not a major conservation issue. It may have an impact on a local area, but overall, migration dilutes out any of these effects. The real culprit is things like habitat loss due to diversion of rivers.'
Also in February 2000, The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia accused the RSPCA of being 'short on facts and understanding about ducks and wetland habitat, and long on blatant emotionalism'.
Mr Sebastian Ziccone, Victorian Branch President of the Sporting Shooters' Association stated, 'About sixty percent of the duck population dies every year irrespective of the activities of hunters.'
2. Victorian duck hunting is regulated so as to ensure duck populations are not threatened
In Victoria, recreational duck hunting is highly regulated in order to ensure that threatened species are not put at risk through duck hunting. The length of the hunting season is controlled, specific areas are declared non-hunting regions, bag limits are put in place and particular species are protected from being shot.
Recreational duck hunting in Victoria is controlled under the provisions of the Wildlife Act 1975 and a normal season starts on the third Saturday in March until the second Monday in June each year. This is in place to minimise the impact on duck populations. Further, DSE has management measures in place to restrict or close the season in accordance with environmental conditions and provide for sustainable harvest. In response to reduced waterfowl populations and habitat, resulting from continuing dry conditions the Government has modified the duck season by reducing season lengths, bag limits and the species available for hunting in ten out of the last thirteen duck seasons. The 2007 season was cancelled, as were the1995 and 2003 seasons.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings has announced that the duck season in Victoria for 2009 would run for only 49 days - from Saturday March 21 to Friday May 8. The media release indicated that this will be the shortest, most restricted duck season ever declared for Victoria to ensure that duck numbers remain sustainable into the future. The Minister further stated, 'There will be an extensive survey of wetlands across the State at the end of this month to determine which sites are unsuitable for inclusion in the season.
Many of our wetlands are already dry and will not be available for hunting. Other areas will be identified through the summer waterfowl count as not being appropriate sites because they contain significant numbers of fragile species... Following [the] waterfowl count ... a number of key wetlands are likely to be closed because they will provide refuges for breeding. These and other restrictions form part of the safeguards against over-harvesting of duck numbers.'
To further ensure duck populations are not adversely affected, recreational shooters will be restricted to a maximum bag limit of five game ducks of which at least three must be Wood Duck, with a total ban on the taking of Blue Wing Shoveller, Pink Ear and Hard Head. In addition, duck hunters will be subject to a range of strong penalties up to $2685 for breaching any one of the conditions.
3. Duck hunters help to preserve wetland environments
It has been claimed that duck hunters play an important part in the preservation and management of wetland environments. In addition to assisting in the control of pest species, the fees paid by duck shooters are used to help manage these areas. Shooters also act as a significant pressure group ensuring governments continue to monitor and preserve the health of rivers, lakes and wetlands.
The 1998 Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee report into the commercial use of wildlife pointed out that apart from helping to
control destructive feral pests, pressure from hunters and their representative organisations helped to ensure that land was set aside for conservation. At the same
time, hunting makes an important financial contribution to preservation efforts across Australia, with the money raised from licenses and fees aiding in the maintenance of vital natural habitats.
According to Dr David Carter, game license fees have raised more than $20 million in Victoria alone since 1958, with the funds going towards the purchase of wetland areas for inclusion in public game reserves. This figure is said by some to be a conservative estimate of the funding from hunters being directed to habitat conservation and the economy.
In 2007, the Global Gun Site noted, 'Game licence fees in Victoria have raised over $20 million since 1958 and have been used to purchase wetlands for inclusion in public game reserves. Duck hunters pay $120,000 a year to South Australia's Wildlife Conservation Fund. A similar amount is paid by shooters in NSW for licenses to hunt ducks which are classed as pests on the ricefields. About $70,000 of this money goes to research. Apart from the licence fees, duck hunters supply their own voluntary labour, firearms, ammunition and transport to assist with the management of damage by waterfowl to the rice industry which is worth $600 million annually'
In an article published in The Victorian Shooter in December, 2005, it was noted, 'In the last century, freshwater wetlands have come under threat throughout the world for two main reasons: they are amongst the most fertile places in any landscape,and they have few uses for people while they are wet. Recreational hunting appears to have negligible effects on the overall populations of game birds. However, remove that avenue to hunt
and further draining of wetlands will harm far more than just game birds.
It is interesting to note that the 1998 Report of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, on Commercial Utilisation of Australian native Wildlife stated that:"...hunting has considerable potential to assist with conservation objectives. Ironically, this is often so for areas of land which are perceived to have little other economic value (such as swamps and wetlands). It also has the potential to contribute wealth, through big game hunting activities, to local communities which may have little other opportunity to derive income from their land and the wildlife inhabiting it."
4. Duck hunting makes an important contribution to rural economies
It has been claimed that duck shooters make significant contributions to rural economies. They are a substantial market which has to be supplied with food, camping equipment, boating equipment, hunting equipment (including ammunition), fuel and often accommodation. In Victoria, expenditure associated with duck hunting was estimated by a department survey in1995 at $29.35 million per year. It would be considerably more than that now.
The Victorian National Party has supported the Victorian Government's decision to allow duck hunting this year. Party leader Peter Ryan has the sport has economic benefits for regional towns, with many city-based shooters visiting for the season.
Commenting in August, 2007, the Nationals spokesman for Natural Resources, Peter Hall, stated, 'A well-administered duck hunting season is both environmental sustainable and economically desirable for regional Victoria. The hunters make a contribution to the regional economy and there is a strong tradition in many families that should be allowed to continue in the future...
The Labor Government's own estimates put the value of duck hunting and other game hunting at $50 million per year to the regional economy with 33,000 licensed game hunters in Victoria participating in the sport.'
It has further been argued that long periods of drought have damaged rural economies and that these economies therefore should not be denied the economic benefits that duck hunting can supply.
In December, 2007, Noel Jackson, a letter writer to The Age noted, 'Duck shooting is worth an estimated $50 million to the Victorian economy each year. That equates to jobs and family livelihoods.'
5. Some duck species damage crops
It has been noted that some species, especially wood duck, cause crop damage. In Victoria certain species of animal judged to damage crops can legally be shot under an Authority to Control Wildlife.
In a media statement released on February 4, 2009, Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings noted, 'The specific bag limit for wood ducks is partially due to the fact that the species is subject to Authorities to Control Wildlife - permits available to landholders to protect crops and dams.
Applications to the DSE from farmers to control wood ducks have increased significantly, almost doubling since 2005 and increasing by more than 20 per cent compared to the previous year. These factors seem to indicate a growing numbers of wood ducks in Victoria.'
The Minister has further stated, 'Wood ducks feed on pasture and are therefore more likely to be found on farmland than in wetland systems and all duck hunters must ensure they seek the permission of land owners before entering private property.'
That ducks can be a pest is a point made by a number of contributors to The Age's blog sites. One contributor observed, 'Ducks are a pest where I live. They do their business everywhere and make the biggest mess staining pavers and furniture. As long as their numbers justify the appropriate hunting period I don't have a problem with it.'
A pest control manufacturer, Bird Gard, has noted, ' Wood ducks are found throughout all of the eastern and western coasts of Australia, the wood duck is a common sight to most rural people. It is not found in the dry interior or Northern Territory.
Although a swimmer, the wood duck is usually found grazing on land. It prefers lightly timbered country near water. It has benefited greatly from small acreage blocks each with a dam and grazing.
Wood ducks are less nomadic than most other species and will remain at the same camp, flying out to feed on green grass shoots and herbage, in the same area until the food is exhausted. Then they'll move to a new feeding area.
Wood ducks can be a major pest in rice fields, lucerne, young cereal and vegetable crops. They normally are only a pest while the crop is young, short and succulent.'