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Coalition against Duck shooting
media release 2009
Premier John Brumby and Sarah Palin - soul mates
Following
Premier John Brumby’s decision to call a recreational duck shooting
season in 2009, the Coalition Against Duck Shooting Campaign Director,
Laurie Levy, said: “Premier John Brumby today became Victoria’s
equivalent of America’s rootin’, tootin’ and shootin’ Sarah Palin.
“Premier
Brumby’s decision to allow a duck shooting season this year flies in
the face of common sense, low bird numbers and abysmal environmental
conditions. Victoria is experiencing low rainfall, excessive heat and now the
Gippsland fires. Scientific
evidence, which resulted in moratoriums being called in 2007 and 2008,
has been ignored in favour of a political decision simply to appease
the few remaining duck shooters in Victoria.
“Ornithologists predict it will take many years of flooding for waterbird numbers to return. With
the looming disastrous impact of global warming it is imperative that
we look to the future and protect our native waterbirds. Since
their numbers have declined by 82% across eastern Australia over the
last 25 years, it is evident they will need all the help they can get
to survive into the future,” Levy said.
“Victorian
water levels were at an all-time low at the start of 2009 with most
wetlands in the state still dry due to the on-going 12 year drought. The
few wetlands that still hold water in Gippsland are acting as refuges
for the low numbers of native waterbirds in this state and must be
protected from duck shooters.
“Field
and Game Australia (FGA) make the claim they have minimal impact on
waterbird numbers, yet their own hunter survey data shows that in fact
they had maximum impact with over 300,000 birds shot in 2006. This
far exceeded the 183,000 waterbirds counted by the Department of
Sustainability and Environment (DSE) on Victorian wetlands in the lead
up to the start of the 2006 season.
“The
Brumby government fails to acknowledge the serious threat recreational
duck shooting poses to native waterbird populations in Victoria,” Levy
continued.
“The
Victorian Government has now acknowledged wounding rates are far too
high, with one in four birds wounded, Premier John Brumby has still
called a duck season knowing full well that according to FGA figures,
around 75,000 birds will be wounded.
“Victorians
want this brutal and unnecessary activity stopped. While duck shooters
have a friend in the Brumby government, the rest of the Victorian
public will condemn this decision. An October 2007 Morgan research poll showed that 75% of Victorians
want recreational duck shooting banned. However,
once informed that waterbird numbers across eastern Australia since
1983 have declined by 82%, that one in four birds are wounded and that
three states have already banned the activity, the percentage jumped to
an overwhelming 87%.
“Once
again our rescue team is being mobilised and will return to the
wetlands to defend our native waterbirds against this government
sanctioned brutality,” Levy concluded.
For further information contact:
Laurie Levy
Campaign Director
Mobile: 0418 392 826