Transcript PowerPoint-presentation

Hunting and Conservation of Taiga Bean geese in the
Nordic Countries from Hunters perspective.
Niklas Liljebäck & Ere Grenfors
Hunting on Bean Goose in Finland and Sweden
• Very highly valued game species in
Finland: BIG GAME
• Considered one of the hardest catch
when hunted in breeding area
--> very alert and shy species
• Traditional way to hunt in Northern and
Eastern Finlands breeding areas
– One hunter and his dog alone in
wilderness
 Minimum risk for overharvesting
• Hunting season traditionally has started
in 20. August  nowadays season
starts much later because of the
restrictions
• Highly valued but few
hunters focus on the
species- more “exotic” than
Greylag- and Canadagoose
• Normally hunted over
decoys in agricultural areas
• More attracted to decoys
than Greylags.
• High pressure on hunters to
reduce agricultural conflictTBG one of other species
Hunting period in Finland and Sweden 2013
1 = North Lapland
breeding area:
Hunting season
starts on 1.
September
2 = South Lapland
and North Karelia:
Hunting season
starts on 10.
September
3 = Rest of Finland:
Hunting season
starts on 10.
October
4 = South-East
Finland: Hunting
season starts on 1.
October (A. fabalis
rossicus migration
rest area)
Latest change in 1992 (?) when
two weeks open season in Norrbotten
was closed
No changes in last review on periods (2011)
Finland – Bean Goose (Anser fabalis)
• Finnish Hunters’ Association official statement on the new
restrictions:
– Conclusions
• The area division is artificial and complicated
• The restrictions stop bean goose hunting almost completely
• Annual game bag method now is not valid because it is highly
inaccurate
– Our suggestion
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Game bag quota: 1 goose / 1 hunter / year
Tagging the caught goose (North American model)
Duty to report and send wing samples to the research institute
Work for flyway management and training to identify subspecies
Russians also have to get involved in conservation work
Look a like-issue
More education needed. New methods!?
For Anser-species; more focus on calls/voice of sp.
For ssp of bean geese not applicable during hunting.
Regulation of hunting of ssp have to be on species level
and adequate geographical scale
Bag statistics in Finland and Sweden- from hunters point of view
Random sample method
(inquiry to hunters, 5000?, per post,
made by Finnish Game and Fisheries
Research
Hunters trust in the system low
Judgment on bean goose data
- Low quality
Denmark hunters
obligated to report
Norway hunters
obligated to report
Data collected by Swedish
Association for Hunting and Wildlife
Management since 1939
Two parallell systems since 2000.
- inquiry to individual hunters (11
000 in 2012)
- Volontary reporting by hunting
team/club (30-40% of Sweden
covered)
Hunters trust in system high
Judgment on bean goose data
- Reasonable for actual number
- Good for indicator of trend
Swedish and Finnish bag of Bean Geese 1997-2011/12
Finland
Mean 6350
Sweden
Mean 3150
Crippling!
Both Swedish and Finnish Hunters NGO’s
work with the problem
• Critical mass of shooting ranges
• Decreasing numbers of shooting ranges- Expensive and administrative burden
More important that single hunters are aware of their capability
than increasing “overall shooting skills”
• Education- hunting methods in focus
• Danish experiences/studies
• Matter of attitude- TBG as a valued game or a problem (protective hunting)
• Find crippling rates presented for different species of geese and swans
extremely high and hard to explain!? Who is shooting on swans?
Adaptive Management is a good idea!
BUT: “Are all geese equal, or are some species more
equal than others?”
Conclusions on hunters’ view on Taiga Bean Goose
Management
Sustainable use have to be in focus
Valuable ecosystem services- high status game
Avoid a new Barnacle Goose problem!
Russia have to be on the bus!
Commitment of hunters is crucial
Hunters are a resource in the system but with limitations
-
Funding countings
Collecting data
Funding research
Sustainable use of TBG the way to reach successful
conservation and fun for the next generation…
Thank you!