THE chief executive of Field & Game Australia waxes lyrical about Australia’s “deep-seated hunting tradition” (Anger over go-ahead, Gannawarra Times, February 20).
He overlooks the deep-seated community rejection of duck shooting that led to a ban across two-thirds of our continent (NSW, Queensland and WA).
Professor Kingsford (UNSW) has surveyed waterbirds over four decades, revealing long-term decline of most hunted species. That’s awkward for shooters, so they snipe at his work.
In 2021, Kingsford finally refuted those criticisms, but the Andrews government had already promised millions of our taxes for new surveys and computer models. This is the “scientifically driven season-setting process” touted by FGA.
Last year, the Game Management Authority aimed for a reduced harvest because duck populations had not recovered despite rains. The computer model came up with a lower bag limit and the Minister even shortened GMA’s recommended season. The result? The harvest was bang-on the long-term average – no reduction at all.
Few would believe FGA’s spurious claim that “scientific research” shows the recreational shooting of Australian native ducks and quail has a “positive impact on habitat conservation and wildlife management”.
Finally, it’s a bit rich for FGA to label its opponents a “minority”. Only two in a thousand Victorians shoot ducks. And a 2019 government report disclosed that most game hunters don’t belong to any hunting club at all.
Em Wilkinson
Wattle Park, Victoria
