CALLS FOR ENVIRONMENT MINISTER TO DO HIS JOB
Australia's native Stubble Quail, believed to be monogamous. There is no long-term population data, and little is known about the bird's threats or biology - Game Management Authority (Quail Forum 2020). |
The Sad Plight of Our Native Quail
It was great to see the recent Parliamentary Inquiry recommend Victoria follow the lead of other states and ban recreational shooting of native ducks and quail. And disappointing the Allan government ignored it.
The first quail shoot under the new Premier’s reign, was a full and unrestricted one, (unlike the previous quail shoot). Shooters were permitted to kill 20 birds a day each, for 84 days, despite a 20% decline in the little bird’s numbers in a single year.
There have only been two estimates of Victoria's quail populations. A third had too high an error margin - or coefficient of variation (CV) to be considered reliable (0.29% CV compared to what scientists say should be no more than 0.15%).
There is no species ID test required of quail shooters and there are several threatened species which look similar. How many threatened species are collateral damage in recreational Stubble Quail shoots? No-one knows. The regulator tasked with ensuring sustainability and minimising impact of hunting on threatened species, doesn’t collate that data.
The regulator has been recommending full quail shooting seasons year after year, with little if any knowledge of the impact of hunting on threatened species, let alone the target bird’s populations or biology.
Documents obtained by RVOTDS shows the regulator is well aware:
There has been no published science of Stubble Quail biology in 40 years.
Lack of monitoring of their populations has reduced confidence in the sustainability of hunting.
There is a poor understanding of basic life history and threats for Stubble Quail.
Over 85% of grassland (Stubble Quail habitat) has been lost for agriculture and urban development.
Breeding occurs regularly in spring and autumn (coinciding with the hunting season) and
It’s important to avoid hunting quail in the lead-up to and during breeding.
Yet none of the above points featured in the regulator’s core message to Minister Steve Dimopoulos recommending another full quail shooting season (including during the bird's breeding times) in 2024.
Below: extracts from a 2020 "Quail Forum" run by GMA. Contributors/participants were primarily hunting groups. Organisations like RSPCA and RVOTDS - which has a clear interest in quail shooting - were not invited. |
So much for the Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) Act 1988 4A (d) the precautionary principle, such that "if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation."
The regulator has just confirmed it will not be running stakeholder consultation before it submits another recommendation to the Minister regarding Autumn's quail shoot.
Cheap Shots Devalue our Native Birdlife
The government has so little concern for our native quail that quail shooting “entitlement” is given away as a “freebie” when a duck shooter buys a licence. Non-duck shooters pay a mere $88.80 for a quail shooting licence and juniors (12-17 years) pay nothing to try their hand at blasting our native birds.
The participation rate is notoriously low for those with “entitlement” to shoot our native quail, but the damage is shocking. Last year shooters reported that 302,000 Stubble Quail were bagged. There are no estimates of the wounding rate for non-fatal hits.
Time for Environment Minister to Step In
RVOTDS recently had the opportunity to brief the shadow Environment Minister on concerns to do with native duck and quail shooting. We are yet to receive a response from Minister Dimopoulos' office regarding requests for same.
For the sake of our native birdlife (and regional communities), Minister Dimopoulos must make the time to understand what is happening with the "recreational" bird shoots across our state, including by listening to stakeholders who see the reality of it. Sadly it's painfully clear the regulator is not providing him with critical information. (More on that in our next newsletter.)
Below: RVOTDS' billboard in Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos' electorate. His constituents have a right to know what he is condoning.
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