Media release from Otago Fish & Game

Regional Council Shoots Itself in Foot Over Ducks

The Otago Regional Council has decided to remove introduced gamebirds from the list of values associated with the region’s wetlands, the Otago Fish and Game Council says. This decision is one of many final recommendations made by regional councillors over the proposed plan change for Otago’s wetlands

“It’s a real kick in the teeth for Otago’s 4000 gamebird hunters, who are currently enjoying the start of the duck shooting season”, Otago Fish and Game Council Environmental Officer Peter Wilson says. The regional council has effectively decided that wild mallards, the most popular and common gamebird, do not deserve to be recognised in the plan even though they are a significant natural resource dependant on freshwater habitats including wetlands.

Otago Fish and Game says there is no logic to the decision. “Gamebird hunters are probably the biggest force behind wetland conservation in New Zealand, putting their own resources into protecting and enhancing wetlands and advocating for better protection of public wetlands such as Lake Tuakitoto and the Waihola and Waipori. Why, at a time when wetlands are under more threat than ever, ORC want to alienate one of the biggest users and supporters of wetlands is beyond us”.

We have made our concerns on this clear to ORC over recent months but unfortunately, they seem determined not to acknowledge introduced gamebirds as an important natural characteristic of wetlands. Fish and Game is considering an appeal to the Environment Court over the plan decisions given the disappointing outcomes.

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