PART I - Waterfowl Hunters: A Critically Endangered Species in Canada

by Bob Bailey

The thick, dark slicks of blue-winged teal that lined the reed-edges and swarmed like African locusts in the etchings of dawn, had faded like childhood dreams. Black ducks and pintails that sprang in successive waves from weedy bays along the islands, had been replaced by staked blinds, surrounded by dozens of stiff-looking, plastic ducks, and guarded by territorial markers. Places to hunt became harder to find and we saw fewer birds every year. This dawn, with one little teal in the bag, I knew it was over.

Thirty years ago, "too few ducks and too many hunters" was the mantra of waterfowl management. It was a believable doctrine. I had seen the St. Lawrence seaway construction and sprawling cities consume countless wetlands, while duck blinds proliferated through every remaining clump of reeds. On the prairies, farmers had churned waves of grassland into a dark sea of drifting soil. Eminent biologists predicted the demise of many species, even the prairie mallard.

Since 1938, habitat has been the rallying cry and potential salvation of duck hunters. Yet life may be as fickle as the flight of a teal. At the dawn of the 21st century the entire picture for ducks and hunters has reversed. Waterfowl populations have soared to new peaks and the duck hunter is now one of Canada’s most critically endangered species.

Waterfowl Hunter Trends
In little more than a couple decades, two of every three duck hunters in Canada have vanished and the free- fall in numbers shows no sign of slowing. Sales of Migratory Bird Hunting Permits in Canada rose from 380,059 in 1966, peaking at 524,946 in 1978, before starting a long ride down to 197,584 in 1999. Ontario represents 30 to 34% of permit sales in Canada, so it is not surprising that the pattern of rise and fall are similar for Ontario. Assuming permit sales reflect fairly the number of legal waterfowl hunters in Canada, the country has lost 62% of its waterfowl hunters since the peak in 1978. Ontario has lost over half (58%). The case of the missing duck hunter is even more startling in some provinces. The bottom has fallen out in Alberta, where 74% of the waterfowl hunters are missing in action, while British Columbia has lost 67%. Numbers have crashed by 65% in Manitoba and Newfoundland. Quebec is down 60%. Atlantic Canada has between 55 and 58% fewer duck hunters than the peak in 1978. Saskatchewan, the sacred shrine of the waterfowler in North America, has seen 65% of its hunters disappear since 1980. Saskatchewan has become a popular destination for non- Canadian hunters in recent years. Foreign visitors account for 44% of the federal permits sold in the Province today. Taking this into consideration, it is ironic that proportionally more Canadian waterfowl hunters have melted into oblivion in Saskatchewan, than in any other province.

These alarming trends have been verified in an independent survey conducted by Environment Canada. Numbers of waterfowl hunters in that survey declined by 53% from 1981 to 1996, (permit sales decreased by 50% over the same time period). Waterfowl hunters steadily dropped as a proportion of the total numbers of hunters in Canada from 37% in 1981, to 26% in 1996.

The outlook for the Canadian waterfowl hunting heritage is bleak. Hugh Boyd, Scientist Emeritus with the Canadian Wildlife Service has used population projections from Statistics Canada, and trends in permit sales to predict the number of waterfowl hunters in the future. His figures show that the number of duck hunters will continue to decline from 1999 levels, by 17% in the next two years, 49% in 7 years and by 64% over the next 10 years.

Boyd also considered the influence of age in the trends. He found that the sharpest drops were occurring in the 15 to 24 year old age class, followed by 25 to 34 year olds. Projected permit sales for the 2001 season in these age classes are 14,100 and 19,700 respectively. There are zero sales of migratory bird hunting permits projected for persons under 35 years of age in 2006.

Factors Influencing the Number of Duck Hunters
Understanding what caused the numbers of waterfowl hunters to rise then crash is the first step to finding a solution. The rapid build- up and sharpest decline occurred in the mid to late 1970s on the Prairies and in Atlantic Canada, and at the beginning, involved mostly young hunters.

Farming, fishing and trapping are primary industries in rural areas, and for several years, a high proportion of people in rural provinces pursued a traditional rural lifestyle. But over time, career opportunities decreased with improved farming technology, while the emerging information age created jobs in big eastern cities. These changes are reflected in the movement of Canadians from rural to urban environments, and the huge growth in urban centres shown in Table One.

Maturing of post-war "baby boomers" on family farms in the mid-sixties, may have precipitated the rise in permit sales to 1978, even though young males were leaving the farms for cities at the same time. Eventually, the rate of departure would naturally overtake the rate that young males reached 15 and entered into the waterfowl hunting population. Large numbers of young hunters were moving into urban areas where they had less time to hunt and fewer hunting opportunities. As the population "shake- out" of young adults continued in the farming community across Canada, waterfowl hunting traditions were disappearing as quickly as family farms.

Many changes have taken place in the waterfowler’s world since "the boomer pig has moved through the python". In the earlier years, wetlands were chewed-up by suburbs, but many more were simply surrounded by growing cities. As awareness increases, momentum for wetland conservation is growing, but access to hunting locations is disappearing at every turn. When I was a kid on the farm, it was a real thrill to see a Canada goose on a pond. Today, my office window in Ottawa is a migration panorama, as ten of thousands of Canada geese and mallards make their way between the river and corn- fields in spring and fall. These spectacles of waterfowl abundance can be seen in almost any major Canadian city. Countless thousands of waterfowl are now a common scene in southern Canada.

Much of this great abundance is no longer available to duck hunters. Sprawling communities have enacted by- laws preventing the discharge of firearms, and converting traditional shooting marshes into sanctuaries. Social engineering by well- financed anti-hunting organizations has disparaged the integrity of the hunter and undercut public support. False perceptions marketed by animal rights groups have reduced access to hunters in many areas. While waterfowl hunters focused on habitat conservation over the past three decades, anti- hunting organizations have cultivated immense wealth and influence. But they have not used their power and resources wisely, to benefit a single wildlife species on the landscape. Skills they honed on sealers, whalers and trappers have been re- focused on manipulating public and political opinion against hunting.

Yet many hunters still believe that waterfowl face grave difficulties and when "the ducks come back" all will be well. But the ducks have been back for more than a decade. The perception that habitat is the cornucopia from which all good things flow to hunters, has been ingrained over decades to raise money for habitat programs. But now, it is duck hunters who are gravely threatened with extinction in Canada, and it is about to occur amidst the greatest abundance of game ever seen in this country. Somehow, the good news about ducks and the bad news about hunting have just not reached the waterfowl hunter.

It is difficult to overstate the abundance of ducks and geese today. The 1998 North American Waterfowl Management Plan update reports that 8 of the 10 most popular species of ducks have exceeded population goals set in 1986, many breaking all- time records and still increasing. Only the bluebill (scaup) and pintails have not reached plan goals. The long-term decline in black ducks has been arrested, and 25 of North America’s 30 goose populations are stable or increasing, with no estimates available for the remaining 5 stocks. Goose populations have reached all- time highs and over-abundance is the greatest threat to many populations.

The number of duck hunters plunged by more than half over the same time waterfowl populations soared past record levels. Although two out of three hunters in the field in the mid-1970s are gone, management agencies have been slow to adapt. Complex and symbolic regulations, with little or no scientific foundation persist. Canada’s total duck harvest is less than that of some American states, and with the exception of the black duck, does not figure prominently in continental management. However, messages from agencies and conservation groups continue to convey perceptions that ducks face grave difficulties and regulated hunting poses significant risks to waterfowl conservation.

Looking Forward
Once again duck hunting seems threatened, but ironically, the risks are opposite to those at play 30 years ago. Although many factors contribute to the pending extinction of waterfowl hunters, concrete options exist for hunters to take action. Recruitment of young hunters is a foremost requirement. Firearm legislation, training and huge increases in fees and licensing costs pose formidable obstacles. Hunters must work with governments and private sector interests to reduce impediments and facilitate a pathway through this maze for new hunters.

The Canadian Wildlife Service launched the Youth Waterfowler Heritage Day in 2000, which is a big step in the right direction. The Delta Waterfowl Foundation was quick to jump on the opportunity to educate young hunters, and provide them with an experience to last a lifetime. Seventeen young shooters were introduced to the great tradition of duck hunting on the Delta Marsh. The event generated enthusiasm, a deluge of positive press and seventeen brand new duck hunters. Delta has pioneered a model that needs to be implemented across the country.

Lack of access to hunting locations is a huge impediment to growth. Hunters need to work with landowners, the farming community, municipalities and other governments, and conservation agencies to improve access and hunting opportunities. It is time to examine the value proposition extended by membership in conservation organizations, and in the permits, stamps and other levies on the waterfowl hunter. Access to hunters should be a priority requirement in every conservation project and program funded by duck hunter dollars.

The public must understand the benefits and values of waterfowl hunting to support it. Agencies and organizations with a stake in the future of hunting need to aggressively market the conservation dividend and legacy that is the trademark of waterfowl hunting in Canada. Wildlife Habitat Canada has taken a first step, with the publication of a report on hunter contributions to conservation. But much more needs to be done.

Canadians perceive hunters as people who take away and return nothing to nature. Naturalists and animal rights activists are attempting to close key migration areas in Ontario and elsewhere to duck hunting. Oftentimes, this advocacy is little more than a single individual with a newspaper column, yet for the most part, their views stand unopposed.

The public and decision-makers are often unaware that some of Canada’s greatest conservation areas were preserved and bequeathed by hunters to the public trust, and that duck hunter dollars have contributed to preserving wetlands for all Canadians. Duck hunters must receive credit and public acknowledgement of their conservation contributions in the communications of organizations using hunter dollars. Marketing the benefits and values of hunting to the public, informing decision- makers, and political advocacy are desperately needed to save the waterfowl hunting heritage and its conservation legacy.

Waterfowl hunters treasure abundance, which makes them unique among environmental advocates today. Waterfowl hunter advocates are needed to maintain a focus on the abundance ingredient in nature, which is as vital to biodiversity conservation as preserving rare species. The focus of hunters on sustaining hunt-able population levels, raises the bar for environmental conservation across the country.

Waterfowl hunters need an effective national voice and focal point to stand up for the hunting heritage and traditions in Canada. Canadians are privileged to see more ducks, geese, and swans in the skies today, than ever witnessed by any preceding generation. Waterfowl resources have been used by millions of people and for the most part, passed on to future generations in better condition than they were received.

The enduring waterfowl legacy has been due in part to the focus waterfowl hunters have brought to habitat conservation, and the changes in land use policies that have resulted. The time has arrived for waterfowl hunters to refocus their support to habitat policies and programs that sustain waterfowl abundance across the landscape. It is also time for resolve and commitment to the most critical challenge confronting waterfowl conservation in our history, and that is saving Canada’s endangered duck hunters from extinction.

Data on permit sales include American hunters who represent between 10 and 14% of the total. The information is used to outline the major trends and what they mean to the future of duck hunting. These data sets include some inconsistencies and changes in methods over time, but these do not affect the main points presented in the article.

Thanks are due to Hugh Boyd, Kathy Dickson, and Helene Levesque of the Canadian Wildlife Service for data and unpublished information. Elaine DuWors contributed information on the surveys of the importance of nature to Canadians conducted by Environment Canada.