"It's interesting to see that when shorebirds are
legal to hunt, other governments' agencies find it easy enough to
provide habitat for them in migration. If yellowlegs were again legal to
hunt here (the Ohio Revised Code still calls them game species, only
temporarily disallowed--see ORC 1533.02) would shorebirds overall have a
better chance here??"
Bill Whan
Columbus
Yes, Bill, I think so.
The continuing emphasis on habitats (not just preservation but expansion) for game species and the neglect of habitats for non-game species is a strong indicator, as you point out. Ducks, geese, and the larger gallinaceous birds have been mass-marketed, and now have strong constituencies to defend their habitats to increase the supply. Because the demand is large, the supply must be multiplied to meet it. If the customers' cravings are satisfied by teal and turkeys, there is no need to produce additional crops of smaller species (sora, yellowlegs, marsh wrens, etc) for the market. Yes, I know that wild game may not be legally sold, but a highly regulated market is still subject to the forces of supply and demand for the commodity. The commodity here is not the carcass of the wild bird, but the experience of trying to shoot such birds in flight. Customers buy a license to hunt, with no guarantee of success. Government agencies, and many non-profit groups, go to great lengths to try to improve the chances of success for hunters of the specific legally allowed game species. Side effects that benefit or damage other species are incidental. I think we would all agree that having public wildlife refuges where seasonal hunting is allowed is better than having none at all.
But is that the best we can expect? Is turning shorebirds (or songbirds, or hummingbirds) into profitable commodities the best way to ensure the preservation of their habitat and the survival of the species? More precisely, is the game-bird-hunting-experience-commodity approach the most effective for keeping a bird species abundant and off the endangered species list? Since birds come in such a range of sizes, where is there any rational line between game species and fully protected - but neglected in practice - non-game species?
Dr. Bob Barrett
Geology and Environmental Sciences
and
World Civilizations: Latin America
at
University of Akron
________________________________________
From: Ohio birds [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bill Whan [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:50 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Adventures and misadventures of fall migrant shorebirds
The always-interesting Irish mailing list reports that Hurricane Irene,
having swiveled east and now ablow in the British Isles, has generated
excited reports of the following local rarities in Irish coastal spots:
both yellowlegs, spotted and semipalmated and Baird's and pectoral and
buff-breasted sandpipers. We are glad to provide them, and wish these
unwilling migrants and their observers the best; at the same time we
regret that the prevailing winds in the Atlantic do not permit our Irish
colleagues as often to return the favo(u)r!
In grimmer news, see
http://www.jeaniron.ca/2011/whimbrelmachi.htm , where we learn the fate
of migrant shorebirds in allegedly civilized countries in our
hemisphere. Here in Ohio most of our wildlife managers do an inadequate
job of providing shorebird habitat (our hottest spot this fall was an
entirely artificial dumping-ground for dredge spoil from the state's
most polluted river), at the same time obliterating other habitats to
improve teal hunting. It's interesting to see that when shorebirds are
legal to hunt, other governments' agencies find it easy enough to
provide habitat for them in migration. If yellowlegs were again legal to
hunt here (the Ohio Revised Code still calls them game species, only
temporarily disallowed--see ORC 1533.02) would shorebirds overall have a
better chance here??
Bill Whan
Columbus
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Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
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