Economic and conservation ramifications from the decline of waterfowl hunters

Vrtiska, Mark P.; Gammonley, James H.; Naylor, Luke W.; Raedeke, Andrew H.

doi:10.1002/wsb.245

Cited by 63 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Secondly, waterfowl hunters are declining across the continent (Pergams & Zaradic ; Vrtiska et al . ). Thirdly, snow geese have shifted their migration and wintering areas, perhaps to avoid areas of intense hunting pressure (Alisauskas et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of exploitation on an overabundant species: the lesser snow goose predicament

Koons

Rockwell

Aubry

2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary1. Invasive and overabundant species are an increasing threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning world-wide. As such, large amounts of money are spent each year on attempts to control them. These efforts can, however, be thwarted if exploitation is compensated demographically or if populations simply become too numerous for management to elicit an effective and rapid functional response. 2. We examined the influence of these mechanisms on cause-specific mortality in lesser snow geese using multistate capture-reencounter methods. The abundance and destructive foraging behaviours of snow geese have created a trophic cascade that reduces (sub-) Arctic plant, insect and avian biodiversity, bestowing them the status of 'overabundant'. 3. Historically, juvenile snow geese suffered from density-related degradation of their saltmarsh brood-rearing habitat. This allowed harvest mortality to be partially compensated by nonharvest mortality (process correlation between mortality sources: q = À0Á47; 90% BCI: À0Á72 to À0Á04). Snow goose family groups eventually responded to their own degradation of habitat by dispersing to non-degraded areas. This relaxed the pressure of density dependence on juvenile birds, but without this mechanism for compensation, harvest began to have an additive effect on overall mortality (q = 0Á60; 90% BCI: À0Á06 to 0Á81). In adults, harvest had an additive effect on overall mortality throughout the 42-year study (q = 0Á24; 90% BCI: À0Á59 to 0Á67). 4. With the aim of controlling overabundant snow geese, the Conservation Order amendment to the International Migratory Bird Treaty was implemented in February of 1999 to allow for harvest regulations that had not been allowed since the early 1900s (e.g. a spring harvest season, high or unlimited bag limits and use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns). Although harvest mortality momentarily increased following these actions, the increasing abundance of snow geese has since induced a state of satiation in harvest that has driven harvest rates below the long-term average. More aggressive actions will thus be needed to halt the growth and spread of the devastating trophic cascade that snow geese have triggered. 5. Our approach to investigating the impacts of population control efforts on cause-specific mortality will help guide more effective management of invasive and overabundant species world-wide.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of exploitation on an overabundant species: the lesser snow goose predicament

Koons

Rockwell

Aubry

2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Concurrent with much of the period of population decline, and the regulatory change, was a long‐term decline in hunter participation in both Canada and the USA (Vrtiska et al. ). In the USA, mean annual duck‐stamp sales declined 36% relative to the 1970s, while, in Canada, the numbers of hunters declined by 72% between 1978 and 2007 (Vrtiska et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), and by differential, decreasing trends in hunting effort (Vrtiska et al. ). Given spatial variation in h , black duck breeding stocks should be managed individually in an adaptive management paradigm (Conroy et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variation in harvest probabilities for American black duck

Roy

Cumming

McIntire

2015

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Assessing spatial variation in waterfowl harvest probabilities from banding data is challenging because reporting and recovery probabilities have distinct spatial patterns that covary temporally with harvesting regulations, hunter effort, and reporting methods. We analyzed direct band recovery data from American black ducks banded on the Canadian breeding grounds from 1970 through 2010. Data were registered to a 1-degree grid and analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression models with spatially correlated errors to estimate the annual probabilities of band recovery and the proportion of individuals recovered in Canada. Probability of harvest was estimated from these values, in combination with independent estimates of reporting probabilities in Canada and the USA. Model covariates included estimates of hunting effort and factors for harvest regulation and band reporting methods. Both the band recovery processes and the proportion of individuals recovered in Canada had significant spatial structure. Recovery probabilities were highest in southern Ontario, along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, and in Nova Scotia. Black ducks breeding in Nova Scotia and southern Quebec were harvested predominantly in Canada. Recovery probabilities for juveniles were correlated with hunter effort, while the adult recoveries were weakly correlated with the implementation of stricter harvest regulations in the early 1980s. Mean harvest probability decreased in the northern portion of the survey area but remained stable or even increased in the south. Harvest probabilities for juveniles in 2010 exceeded 20% in southern Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. Our results demonstrate fine-scale variation in harvest probabilities for black duck on the Canadian breeding ground. In particular, harvest probabilities should be closely monitored along the Saint Lawrence River system and in the Atlantic provinces to avoid overexploitation.

show abstract

“…To meet constituency demands and improve harvest management, managers need to better understand how regulations influence hunter participation and behavior. Knowledge of hunter experience, persistence and dedication, and conservation concern may inform hunter recruitment and retention strategies (Enck et al, 1993;Miller & Vaske, 2003;Stedman et al, 2004;Van Deelen & Etter, 2003), addressing the current decline in waterfowl hunter numbers (Vrtiska, Gammonley, Naylor, & Raedeke, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%