SSAA speaks with ABC Riverland about South Australian duck hunting season
ABC Riverland SA, 01/06/2009, 9.25AM
Compere: Well, at the start of the program - half past eight this morning - we spoke to SA Greens MLC Mark Parnell about wanting to put a Private Members Bill in to stop duck hunting across South Australia. Matthew Godson joins us. He's the Special Project Officer, Hunting and Environment, Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia. Matthew, welcome.
Matthew Godson: Thank you.
Compere: And, what's your take on the move by Mark Parnell to ban duck hunting permanently?
Matthew Godson: Oh, look, it's nonsense really. It's much better to have a managed duck season than have ad hoc, pest management, which is sort of happening in the states which don't have a recreational hunting season at the moment. New South Wales, Queensland, and WA - ducks are still shot, as a pest, even though recreational hunters can't even go out and get a bird for food. So, it's better to have a managed recreational season, where you've got fees from hunters that are used for all sorts of conservation projects, as well as the hunters themselves being able to put time and effort into habitat restoration where hundreds of different species benefit.
Compere: Mark Parnell is saying that it's inhumane; that, you know, many more ducks are injured than are shot, and he says there are better ways to - if there are some sort of pest problems - better ways to managing than, than having an open season.
Matthew Godson: Well, you know, people poison animals as part of the pest strategy, and, well with duck, if you poison a duck you can't eat it. I'm very into making sure an animal, if it's going to be taken, it's utilised. And with wild duck, it’s a very good organic free-range food. In Victoria, at the duck opening, the animal liberationists had a tent out there on the duck opening day, and not one wounded duck was brought in. So, their figures of so many wounded birds - they had press, the media, everybody was there watching - and they didn't have a bird come into their rescue tent for the whole opening morning.
Compere: Mark Parnell also says that there's a decreasing number of duck hunters that are participating in these open seasons around the, the states; is that the case?
Matthew Godson: The criteria is tightening, as in to shoot water fowl. You need to pass a water fowl identification test. One thing which I guess this test has done, has got rid of the stereotype of the red-neck hunter. The people that go out hunting duck these days, do it to obtain food. And it's a pastime, very similar to fishing. So legally, it's a great thing to do.
Compere: Will you be watching this move by, by South Australia potentially to discuss the end of duck hunting and place a permanent ban?
Matthew Godson: Well, as an association we do - our state level counterparts do follow these sorts of bills. And like always, one side will lobby, the other side will also.
Compere: And, Mark Parnell indicates that, that other states have already sort of followed the ban. I know that there was a two year sort of lapse in South Australia. But, he says that Western Australia hasn't had a duck season for 20 years; and New South Wales and Victoria are also looking at permanent bans.
Matthew Godson: Well, in New South Wales they have a duck mitigation program, which recreational hunters can sign up for. And, this program in particular, they are actually shooting more ducks now than when they did have a recreational season.
Compere: Right.
Matthew Godson: Yes. And see that's one thing which the Green parties don't try and publicise because the banning of recreational hunting has actually caused an increase in the shooting of ducks as pests. And it's much better to manage a duck as a resource, not a pest.
Compere: It's a highly emotive issue isn't it Matthew?
Matthew Godson: It certainly is. Duck hunting is like fishing - it's not for everybody.
Compere: Certainly isn't. And one to watch. Thanks for your time.
Matthew Godson: That's alright.
Compere: Matthew Godson, who's the Special Project Officer, Hunting and Environment Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.
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