Wildlife Act

Allowing duck hunting to continue in Victoria is shameful and part of a disturbing trend

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Wildlife Act, Beauty, Environment, Hunting, Biodiversity, Health, Ethics, Yuin, Injury, Knowledge, Government, Ecosystem, Risk, Education, State government, Duck, Labour, Indigenous Australians, Tradition, Bird

The Victorian government has confirmed duck and quail hunting will continue in the state, albeit with changes which would purportedly ensure the practice “remains safe, sustainable and responsible”.

Key Points: 
  • The Victorian government has confirmed duck and quail hunting will continue in the state, albeit with changes which would purportedly ensure the practice “remains safe, sustainable and responsible”.
  • The controversial decision is a rejection of recommendations by a bipartisan parliamentary committee chaired by a Labor MP, which recommended ending native bird hunting this year.
  • To us as Yuin men, Yumburra (black duck) – one of the species being hunted – is a culturally significant species and our tribal totem.


Read more:
Why duck shooting season still isn't on the endangered list

Open season for controversy

  • The issue emerges every autumn when the responsible minister is set to announce the details of the shooting season.
  • Each year the same groups come out to wade through the muddy water and thrash out the same bloody arguments.
  • The inquiry heard non-lethal wounding rates of ducks could be as high 6-40%, or 15,700 to 105,000 based on the 2022 season.
  • The government says it will accept the other seven recommendations “in full or in principle”, by changing the rules from 2025.
  • But in practice these measures will be resource-intensive and challenging to implement effectively.
  • And hunting-related harm to individual ducks and populations can only be reduced, when it could have been eliminated.

A disturbing pattern of behaviour

  • In December 2021 I was invited to present an Indigenous perspective to an inquiry into ecosystem decline in Victoria.
  • I told them of watching the decline of the manna gum woodlands I had grown up in, and how that impacted me.
  • That inquiry found threatened native species are suffering severe declines and are not being holistically protected.
  • These declines included “waterbird species in the Murray–Darling Basin” and “distribution and abundance of waterbirds in the Murray–Darling Basin”.

Demand more from the Victorian government

  • It’s not fading in a faraway place, it’s happening on your doorstep, within your sphere of influence.
  • We, as Victorians, must accept our responsibility to care for this place that sustains us both physically and spiritually.
  • We must demand that governments acknowledge the environment is being devastated and prioritise policies to reverse the trend.


Jack Pascoe is affiliated with Back to Country and is Co-Chief Councilor of the Biodiversity Council.

Athabasca County sentenced $300K for illegal activity in Meanook National Wildlife Area

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Environment of Canada, Conservation in Canada, Canada Wildlife Act, Environment, Wildlife Act, Wildlife, National Wildlife Area, Natural environment, Nature, Canadian Wildlife Service

On June 10, 2019, Athabasca County, a municipal district in Alberta, pleaded guilty to violating the Wildlife Area Regulations, contrary to the Canada Wildlife Act.

Key Points: 
  • On June 10, 2019, Athabasca County, a municipal district in Alberta, pleaded guilty to violating the Wildlife Area Regulations, contrary to the Canada Wildlife Act.
  • In September 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers conducted an inspection at the Meanook National Wildlife Area following a report of suspected unauthorized activities.
  • This activity affected approximately 2.5 hectares of land within the National Wildlife Area, causing risk to wildlife and damage to wildlife habitat.
  • National Wildlife Areas are protected and managed according to the Wildlife Area Regulations under the Canada Wildlife Act.

Pennsylvania Pushes For Dedicated Conservation Funding

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 20, 2018
Wildlife Act, Conservation biology

4647 provides mandatory permanent funding language, while S. 3223 requires annual appropriations by Congress to allocate funding to the states.

Key Points: 
  • 4647 provides mandatory permanent funding language, while S. 3223 requires annual appropriations by Congress to allocate funding to the states.
  • Under the House version of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, Pennsylvania would receive annual federal fish and wildlife conservation funding of about $34 million to better address the conservation actions for these species.
  • The need for long-term dedicated funding is obvious, and the agencies are urging all Pennsylvania voters and conservationists to let legislators know how important the Recovering America's Wildlife Act is to them and Pennsylvania.
  • Let them know America's conservation of imperiled fish and wildlife currently is insufficient and that the Recovering America's Wildlife Act would bridge the funding shortfalls that make compromised fish and wildlife more vulnerable.