U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Migratory Bird Management, Arctic Ecosystems in Peril Report, Part IV, Prioity Recommendations

ARCTIC ECOSYSTEMS IN PERIL: REPORT OF THE ARCTIC GOOSE HABITAT WORKING GROUP

PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS

The alternative of doing nothing and letting nature take its course with snow geese and arctic habitats is rejected. The snow goose problem is a man-caused problem. Doing nothing to correct this situation would lead to a significant environmental disaster. Therefore, it is recommended that appropriate management actions be implemented as quickly as possible.

It is believed that no single management strategy can correct the snow goose overpopulation problem. Rather, population control will only be achieved through application of a variety of techniques each applied wherever and whenever possible. Virtually all strategies considered and proposed are controversial at some level. Most, especially those with the most promise for successfully achieving population control, are highly controversial. Resolution of controversial aspects of the most potentially effective strategies should be a priority focus of all agencies involved.

A comprehensive communication plan aimed at informing all potentially affected interests across North America about the snow goose problem and the need for resolution needs to be developed and implemented immediately. In addition to informing people about the problem, this plan should also contain specific strategies for dealing with the controversies implicit in implementing population control measures. It must be geared at obtaining the consent or “permission to proceed” from those most likely to stand in the way of successfully dealing with the snow goose problem. To ignore these interests and their concerns will guarantee failure. Because the primary authority and responsibility for management of these populations lies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, these two agencies need to take the lead in accomplishing this task. State and provincial agencies and other partners who have a large stake in the welfare of snow geese and arctic habitats must stand prepared to provide as much assistance as possible.

Increasing hunting opportunity needs to be the focus of initial snow goose population control efforts. All reasonable avenues for increasing the kill of snow geese by hunting need to be implemented across the United States, Canada and Mexico prior to consideration of more direct and rigorous techniques (II-A and II -B). If the mid-continent snow goose population is not reduced by 50 percent by 2005 (or significant progress is not being made), then efforts should be initiated to implement strategies aimed at direct population control as detailed under Section II.

The Mississippi and Central Flyway Councils were asked to review an earlier draft of proposed management strategies and to recommend those which should receive high priority for implementation. Two recommendations which received a “priority” recommendation from both the Central and Mississippi Flyways were implemented for the 1996-1997 waterfowl season: 1) extending snow goose hunting frameworks to March 10 throughout both flyways and 2) increasing possession limits.

In addition, both flyways recommended three other strategies for immediate implementation.

Relax restrictions on the use of electronic calls. This should be first done at times and in areas with “snow goose only” seasons. Research should be conducted to determine the effectiveness of this technique and to provide baseline data to determine if snow geese learn to avoid electronic calls.
Provide additional hunting on state, provincial and federal refuges. Management practices should be adjusted to reduce refuge benefits to snow geese and to increase the harvest both on and around refuges. Changes should include, but not be limited to, opening additional areas on these refuges to hunting, and reducing food resources, roosting areas and areas safe from hunting. Care will be needed to avoid significant impacts to other species using refuges. However, managers must balance the concern for other species on refuges with concern for the snow geese and the variety of other species which depend on healthy arctic habitats. Concern for other species on refuges must not preclude addressing the serious snow goose/arctic habitat problem. Refuge managers should be the target of communication efforts to inform them about the snow goose problem and the role they can play in helping to resolve it. Managers should be charged with the task of reducing refuge benefits to snow geese while maintaining benefits to other species whenever possible.
Both Flyways recognized the need to hunt snow geese beyond March 10 and the difficulty in modifying Migratory Bird Treaties to allow this. However, in the long run, Treaty modification to allow spring hunting may be one of the most effective and efficient population control techniques available. The U.S. and Canadian governments should jointly pursue Treaty modifications which will allow management of over-populations of migratory birds. Work on a new Treaty amendment should begin immediately.

The Mississippi Flyway suggested that elimination of state and provincial restrictions on nonresident waterfowl hunting licenses and day and zone restrictions should receive high priority. The Central Flyway agreed that this strategy would be useful, but believed this to be an extremely controversial issue in some states which would require considerable effort to implement legislative changes. The Flyways and state agencies should pursue these issues.

Relaxation of restrictions on shell limits, baiting, hazing, live decoys and shooting hours were all recommended as useful strategies to pursue. Of these, changes in baiting regulations have the most potential for increasing harvest. It was suggested that baiting regulations for snow geese could be identical to that for dove hunting. Shooting hours could be relaxed to allow hunting until one-half hour after sunset as is the current practice in Canada. Again relaxation of these hunting method restrictions could be implemented first in “snow goose only” hunt areas. Both federal governments and state and provincial agencies should cooperate to implement appropriate changes in hunting restrictions which could increase the harvest of snow geese.

Both Flyways recognized the need to increase the harvest by northern residents but also recognized the difficulty of significantly increasing the take by these hunters. Government agencies in Canada should implement strategies to increase the take of snow geese by northern residents.

Both Flyways recognized the potential need for agencies to implement direct population control (II-A and II-B). The high cost of this work and the difficulty and expense of using the birds for human consumption were seen as significant obstacles. At some point, if direct population control becomes necessary, the principle of ethical use of the birds may have to be set aside in favor of more rigorous efforts to control the population and save arctic habitats. While it is hoped that this never occurs, managers need to be aware of and begin preparing for this possibility.

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