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Federal Measures Allow More Leeway To Control Canada Geese
By Catherine Snipe
If you're fed up with Canada geese, the federal government approved more flexibility for state agencies, airports and landowners in controlling the Canada goose population. In an August ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the agency approved increased hunting of Canada geese as a means to control the fowl's everincreasing population.
Brick Township is circulating the ruling on its website www.twp.brick.nj.us and was one of hundreds of municipalities, agencies, organizations and residents providing comments during the discussion leading up to the regulation.
Geese are tracked as part of the Atlantic Flyway zone on the east coast, where the resident geese population continues to grow at a rate of two percent annually each year since 2002. FWS estimates 1.15 million resident Canada geese were in the Atlantic Flyway zone this past spring.
FWS is acting in response to growing impacts from overabundant populations of resident Canada geese, which can damage property, agriculture and natural resources in parks and other areas.
"The service (FWS) worked closely with state fish and wildlife agencies and the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services to provide a full range of options for managing resident Canada goose populations consistent with health, safety and environmental demands," said FWS Director H. Dale Hall. "This final rule offers the essential flexibility needed for effective natural resource management."
Resident Canada geese typically stay in the same area or migrate for short distances, according to the FWS, which said the rapid rise of resident Canada geese populations is because most resident Canada geese live in temperate climates with relatively stable breeding habitat conditions.
The geese tolerate human and other disturbances, enjoy the local abundance of habitat such as mowed grass and waterways and fly short distances for winter compared with migratory Canada goose populations. The absence of waterfowl hunting and natural predators in urban areas has also contributed to perpetuating overabundance.
The new regulatory program's three components allow the taking of the geese without a federal permit. This first component creates control and depredation orders for airports, landowners, agricultural producers and public health officials designed to address goose depredation and damage while managing conflict.
Secondly, the ruling expands hunting methods, in hopes there will be an increase in the sport harvest of geese. Under this component, New Jersey could choose to expand shooting hours and allow hunters the use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns during a portion of early September.
Lastly, the FWS director can now designate an additional hunting or harvesting season of the geese, specifically for the purpose of reducing the geese population. This designation, called a "management take," opens taking of the geese in the month of August. The existing season is September 1 through March 10.
According to the FWS, a management take is needed when traditional and otherwise authorized management measures are unsuccessful or not feasible.
The rules go into effect on September 11.
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