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Stop
the Shearwater Slaughter
Shearwater
chick. Photo: Graeme Burgan
What
happens to short-tailed shearwaters (muttonbirds) in Tasmania?
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The short-tailed shearwater,
alias the muttonbird, is subject to both recreational and commercial
hunting in Tasmania. Shearwaters are migratory birds, breeding in
colonies in Australia, with the vast majority breeding in Tasmania.
They travel a 30,000 kilometre round trip each year. There are 209
breeding colonies around Tasmania and its offshore islands.
The victims of hunting
are the chicks who are taken from their burrows in sand dunes along
the coast of Tasmania. Shearwater chicks grow fast and reach almost
twice the weight of an adult, before the adults depart for warmer
climates. They follow their parents 3 weeks later.
For more information
on the short-tailed shearwater go to: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/factsheets/wildlife/Shearwater.pdf
Recreational killing
of muttonbirds requires a licence and there is a 2 week season.
Birds are for personal use only and not to be sold. In addition
to the recreational season, up to 200,000 chicks may be removed
from their burrows by commercial season operators and sold. The
birds are also vulnerable to poaching
(illegal killing), which is common. |
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Activist
with a pile of slaughtered chicks |
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The
cruelty of muttonbirding
Recreational licences are handed
out to anyone who applies and pays the fee. Whilst there is a written
guide to how to kill 'humanely', in practice many chicks are killed in
a barbaric way. Commonly they are swung around the killer's head until
their neck breaks, or in some cases the chick's heads are stomped on and
they may still be staggering around. Although it is not legal to do so,
sometimes long hooks are used to haul them from their safe havens.
Inadequate
Monitoring
 In
2007 there were 1158 licences issued and the season runs for 16 days.
There is a bag limit of 25 chicks per day per person, (a limit of 15 chicks
applies at some rookeries). This means that a person can legally take
up to 400 chicks - a lot of birds for personal use! A total of 66,476
chicks were reported by licence holders as taken in 2007. In addition
to the recreational season, another 90,000 chicks were removed from their
burrows by commercial operators and sold.
The number of chicks reported
killed by recreational hunters is not likely to be accurate. The 2006
season was the first time that hunters had to submit returns and it is
not known how truthful their returns are. Only limited survey information
on total numbers of birds exists.
The number of licences issued
has been increasing in recent years. In addition poaching is a significant
problem, which is difficult to police and usually happens under cover
of darkness, so the real number of chicks killed may be substantially
higher than legal figures would suggest.
Environmental
Damage
Short-tailed shearwaters re-use
the same burrows year after year. Significant damage is done to burrows
when chicks are removed. By admission of the Tasmanian Government, in
documentation handed to those obtaining licences, muttonbirding is causing
significant habitat damage:
"Over the years there
have been problems with amateur muttonbirding that have resulted in the
closure of many colonies. These problems still continue on some of the
colonies that are open."
"Colonies are located
on fragile soils held together by vegetation that is vulnerable to disturbance.
Many muttonbirders cause deliberate and permanent damage to individual
burrows by digging them by hand or spade, or by ripping them open with
their shoulders when attempting to get birds deep in burrows. Vegetation
is also hacked or torn away. Damaged burrows are useless for birds to
breed in the future."
There have even been places
where vegetarion has been taken to with a chainsaw to obtain easier access!
Vulnerability
of the Species
In
addition to legalised killing and illegal poaching, the shearwater is
facing a number of threats. Gillnet fisheries in the North Pacific drown
many thousands of birds annually. They are also killed in gillnet fishing
in Tasmanian waters. They are vulnerable to ingesting plastic rubbish
whilst at sea, which can cause health problems or death. Feral cats are
problems in rookeries, killing chicks, as are other species such as pigs,
cattle and sheep that destroy burrows in the fragile soil. Around 10 percent
of adults die each year.
Despite current large
numbers of this species, the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania
state that they are "still vulnerable to over-harvesting and
habitat destruction". The Service gives an example of a similar
bird, the providence petrel, that became extinct in Australia due
to "massive harvesting" (see link to brochure on short-tailed
shearwater above).
The reticence of the
Tasmanian Government to tackle poaching from protected areas came
to light in 2005 - Case Study
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adult shearwaters
returning to burrows
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The shearwaters don't breed
until they are a minimum of five years of age. They only have one chick
per year and only one third of chicks return to breed.
The birds are protected in
other states of Australia, with significant fines for offenders. There
has been no legal season on muttonbirds in Victoria for over 30 years.
Because it is a migratory bird, it is also the subject of a joint protection
project between Japan and Australia - the Japan Australia Migratory Birds
Agreement.
The short-tailed shearwater
is not an infinite resource to be exploited at our whim!
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| AACT
Now
Download
a brochure
to copy and distribute (pdf file).
Write
NOW, Lets make this season the last season. Ask that the
full weight of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
Act 1999 is used to protect the short-tailed shearwater and its
breeding colonies that are mainly in Tasmania. Also, under the Japan/Australia
Migratory Birds Agreement, Australia is obligated to provide breeding
sanctuaries.
The
Hon Peter Garrett
Minister For the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Email: peter.garrett.MP@aph.gov.au
Ask Tasmanian
Minister David Llewellyn to make every effort to stamp out poaching
and to ban the two week long "recreational" chick killing
season. Also ask her to implement a significant fine and and jail
penalties for each chick killed illegally, as is the case in other
States. This should be included in the Wildlife Regulations 1999,
along the lines of the special penalties in the Living Marine Resources
Management Act 1995 ("sea fisheries"). Also, in line with
the Seafisheries Act, rangers, police etc to be given power to seize
vehicles, mobile phones, lights, backpacks, wire hooks ("sharpened
implements"), dogs, sacks etc used during illegal shearwater
chick killing.
David
Llewellyn
Minister for Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
Email: david.llewellyn@parliament.tas.gov.au
C/- Parliament House
Hobart TAS 7001
Contact details will be updated with the new Minister and email
address, post election.
Each
year the Premier updates the "concessions" booklet which
contains a 20% discount for people holding various concession cards
purchasing a "recreational" shearwater chick killing licence.
Normally the licence, available from any Service Tasmania shop,
costs $22 plus. Less the discount the cost is only $18 plus. Senior
card holders are also eligible for the discounts (see 2005 Seniors
Card Booklet "Leisure and Lifestyle section". Please write
to the Premier asking that the discount on licence be discontinued
immediately (the cheaper the licence the more people will take them
up).
Premier
of Tasmania
Hon David Bartlett
Parliament House
Hobart Tas 7000
Fax: 03 6234 1572
Email: http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/contact
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