Canada goose competition will run in 2011 despite the change to their status

North Canterbury Fish & Game will go ahead with the 2011 Canada Goose competition, even though they are soon to lose their ‘game bird’ status.

Fish & Game Officer Steve Terry said we owe it to hunters who have brought their licence and have been collecting goose legs all season to continue with the event. Last year’s competition was hugely successful with hunters submitting 6754 birds. Mr Terry said this saved the organisation $30 – 40,000 that would have had to be spent culling these birds. Competitors won a share of the $10,000 prize pool.

However this may be the last year that the competition is run. The Minister of Conservation last week made a decision to change the status of Canada geese. The new status will mean anyone with a firearms licence will be able to shoot geese at anytime of the year and will no longer require a Game Bird Licence. Fish & Game will no longer be controlling the species through recreational hunters and organised culls.

Mr Terry say that taking Canada geese off the game bird list will mean more cost to landowners, the Department of Conservation, regional councils (and by default ratepayers), because control operations will no longer be paid for out of licence holder funds.

Fish & Game are still the managers of Canada geese until their change in status is notified in the N.Z. Gazette, which could take up to three months. For now hunters still require a Game Bird Licence to hunt this species, and are bound by the existing regulations. North Canterbury’s Goose season (using last season’s licence) finishes on the 17th of April 2011, and if there is no official change to their status hunters will require a 2011 Game Bird Licence to resume goose hunting on Saturday the 7th of May 2011 when the Canada geese season re-starts.

North Canterbury Fish &Game have been have been inundated with hunters and stakeholders interested in the implications of the decision. Fish& Game Officer Emily Arthur issued this press release to provide some key information to the public and clear up some of the confusion.

Are Canada goose numbers are out of control in North Canterbury?

Fish & Game Officer Brian Ross says that trend counts for the North Canterbury region are down on historic counts.

“Aerial surveys in 2011 showed total Canada goose numbers for the North Canterbury Region to be at 13,811, which is just below last year’s count of 13,943. Trend counts show Canada goose numbers are lower than in the 1990s and have changed little over the last 10 years. This indicates that Canada geese are not dramatically increasing in the region as has been indicated in the media,” says Brian Ross.

Will the ban on the use of lead shot over water still apply to hunting Canada geese?

Yes, until such time as Canada geese are formally removed from the game list. At that point the ban introduced as a condition under the Game Notice for hunting game birds will cease to exist for Canada geese. The existing ban on the use of lead shot over water does still apply to the hunting of all other game birds (excluding upland game).

What will happen if a hunter is caught in possession of lead shot hunting over water and claims they are not hunting ducks but only Canada geese?

If they are using gear capable of shooting game birds at a time and in a location when game birds might reasonably be expected to be present, then it would be for the alleged offender to prove they were not intending to shoot game birds as a defence to a possible charge.

What if people use poison to kill Canada geese?

The use of poison is illegal, and the Minister of Conservation and Federated Farmers have assured Fish & Game that they support this prohibition. Any rumours or actual occurrences involving poisoning should be reported to the Department of Conservation immediately. The Minister of Conservation is also the Minister for Food Safety.