Recreational Waterfowl Hunting Activity and Harvests in Northern-Territory, Australia

Whitehead, PJ; Bayliss, P; Fox, RE

doi:10.1071/wr9880625

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Recreational hunting may cause significant but localised mortality but does not appear to affect the populations of species themselves (Whitehead et al 1988;Halse et al 1993b;Briggs et al 1993). In south-western Western Australia, where waterfowl were hunted intensively, nearly 60% of Pacific Black Duck, and 40% of Grey Teal mortality was caused by hunting but elsewhere hunting probably accounted for less than 25% (Halse et al 1993b).…”

Section: Huntingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian waterbirds—products of the continent's ecology

Kingsford

Norman

2002

Emu - Austral Ornithology

113

107

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Abstract. Some aspects of the ecology of 93 waterbird species, found predominantly on freshwater ecosystems, are reviewed. These species, belonging to six major orders -Anseriformes (ducks, geese and Black Swan), Podicipediformes (grebes), Pelecaniformes (Australian Pelican and cormorants), Ciconiiformes (herons, ibis, spoonbills and bitterns), Gruiformes (cranes, rails, crakes and gallinules), and Charadriiformes (waders and terns) -use a wide range of habitats and about half occur throughout the continent. Knowledge of their ecology remains poor for many waterbirds, particularly cryptic and rare species, and is moderate to good for hunted species. Life histories of Australian waterbirds differ from their counterparts elsewhere. Australia's highly variable climate and river-flooding patterns create wetland habitats, the spatial and temporal variability of which strongly influence the ecology of local waterbirds. Many waterbirds respond to newly generated habitats to feed and/or breed and then disperse or die as wetlands dry. Regular movements are not common in most Australian species although some, particularly waders, migrate between Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds and non-breeding habitat in Australia. Breeding of Australian waterbirds coincides with food abundance in the southern spring, the wet season in the tropics and following floods inland. Habitat loss through draining of wetlands, regulation of rivers, diversion of water for irrigation and floodplain development are currently the major threats to waterbirds. Other potentially threatening processes include exotic plants and animals, pollution, climate change and over-harvesting but evidence for the impact of these factors remains poor. Understanding of waterbird, particularly waterfowl, ecology has contributed significantly to the conservation management of wetlands in Australia. Research on single species, studies of movements using satellite technology, further investigation of the effects of hunting, long-term monitoring and large-scale analyses of the availability of wetland habitat should be future research priorities.

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Section: Huntingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian waterbirds—products of the continent's ecology

Kingsford

Norman

2002

Emu - Austral Ornithology

113

107

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“…The bias in the literature towards temperate waterfowl species may be a cultural artefact of European and North American interest in hunting of waterfowl, and the pest status of some of these to agricultural interests (for example, Crawley and Bolen 2002). Moreover, little information is available regarding the interactions between Magpie Geese and their favoured wetland habitat despite the economic and cultural importance of these to Australians (Whitehead et al 1988;Whitehead et al 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

How will climate change affect plant—herbivore interactions? A tropical waterbird case study

Traill

Whitehead

Brook

2009

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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We review interactions between waterfowl and wetlands and outline the shifts that are likely to occur within these relationships through global climate change. We highlight the relative paucity of research on populations of tropical waterfowl and their food plants, and use an iconic tropical species of waterfowl, the Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata), as a case study. We provide background on the known and hypothesised interactions between Magpie Geese and wetlands and provide a hypothetical framework of the mechanistic changes to these relationships through climatic change, including rises in sea level, temperature increases, elevated CO 2 levels and altered rainfall regimes. Intrusion of saline water through sea-level rise and extended periods of inundation following increased annual rainfall are the two plausible drivers of change in the wetland sedge plants that support Magpie Geese populations. We show how the relative importance of these, and other, threatening factors can be challenged with data from the field and laboratory under multiple working hypotheses. Understanding the imminent shifts in the structure of wetland plant communities and the likely response of waterfowl populations will focus management on key threats and critical habitat. This includes identification of important wetlands and the construction of buffers at them to slow salt-water intrusion.

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“…The lower bound of 130 000 year -1 was based on an indigenous off-take of 100 000 year -1 (A. D. Griffith, unpublished data) and a recreational harvest of 30 000 year -1 (Brook and Whitehead 2002). The upper bound of 360 000 year -1 was based on an indigenous off-take of 290 000 year -1 (Vardon et al 1996) and a recreational harvest of 70 000 year -1 (Whitehead et al 1988). Off-take was allotted to different populations according to the relative allocation implied by the wetland-specific proportional harvest rates at carrying capacity (see Table 1 for a listing).…”

Section: Harvest-management Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Harvests of magpie geese, for both recreational hunting and indigenous subsistence off-take, are substantial but highly variable across space and time (Whitehead et al 1988;Vardon et al 1996;Brook and Whitehead 2005). For instance, the Adelaide River floodplain is subject to most of the Northern Territory's recreational hunting pressure (Whitehead et al 1988), and heavy indigenous use takes place in Arnhem land (Vardon et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainable harvest regimes for magpie geese (Anseranas semipalmata) under spatial and temporal heterogeneity

Brook

Whitehead

2005

Wildl. Res.

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We developed a population model of magpie geese in the Northern Territory that considered spatial and temporal variation and related sources of uncertainty, building on previous analyses of the plausible rates of increase for this species. The model was used to explore realistic limits to recreational and indigenous harvest and to examine productive, yet risk-averse, management regimes for long-term sustainability. Harvest strategies based on a proportional off-take provided similar yields to a fixed quota system, but resulted in a reduced risk of substantial population decline. Moreover, higher harvests could be supported in model systems that incorporated dispersal phenomena consistent with patterns suggested by the observed distributional and abundance patterns. However, irrespective of harvest strategy and spatial structure, off-take at the levels implied in previously published analyses are clearly unsustainable. These results illustrate the desirability of matching the design of management systems to the heterogeneity of population processes. Management regimes that fail to take account of spatial and temporal heterogeneity could damage the interests of important stakeholder groups and potentially imperil the future viability of the species. However, the costs of disaggregated management systems may be substantial and benefits of investment in them need to be clearly demonstrated. Gaining better appreciation of spatial variation in harvests should be given high priority.

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Recreational Waterfowl Hunting Activity and Harvests in Northern-Territory, Australia

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

Australian waterbirds—products of the continent's ecology

Australian waterbirds—products of the continent's ecology

How will climate change affect plant—herbivore interactions? A tropical waterbird case study

Sustainable harvest regimes for magpie geese (Anseranas semipalmata) under spatial and temporal heterogeneity

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