USFWS Releases Final Canada Goose Management Decision

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released a final rule late last week that will give state wildlife agencies, landowners and airports more flexibility in controlling resident Canada geese populations.
The final rule was published in the August 10 Federal Register, and is in response to a growing overabundance of resident Canada geese, which the USFWS says is causing damage to property, agriculture and natural resources in parks and other areas nationwide.

“The USFWS worked closely with state fish and wildlife agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to provide a full range of options for managing resident Canada geese populations,” said USFWS Director H. Dale Hall. “This final rule offers the flexibility needed for effective natural resource management.”

The USFWS’ new regulatory goose program consists of three components. The first establishes control and depredation orders for airports, landowners, agricultural producers and public health officials that are designed to address resident Canada goose depredation and damage while managing conflict. This component will allow the killing of resident Canada geese without a federal permit as long as certain reporting and monitoring requirements are fulfilled.

The second component includes expanded hunting methods and opportunities and is designed to increase the sport harvest of resident Canada geese. Under this component, states could choose to expand their legal shooting hours and allow hunters to use electronic calls and unplugged shotguns during a portion of their early September resident Canada goose hunting seasons.

The third component of the USFWS’ Canada goose rule authorizes the USFWS to implement a resident Canada goose population control program, or what the USFWS calls “Management Take.” The USFWS defines Management Take as a special management action that’s needed to reduce certain wildlife populations when traditional management measures are unsuccessful, not feasible or not applicable in preventing damage to property, agricultural crops, public health and other interests. Under Management Take, the killing of resident Canada geese outside the existing sport hunting seasons would be authorized and would enable states to authorize a harvest of resident Canada geese between August 1 and August 31. Management Take would be available to states in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central flyways following the first full year of the other new regulations.

For more information on the USFWS’ new resident Canada geese management rules, visit www.fws.gov.
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