Aarhus University Seal

High incidence of injured barnacle geese

Nearly every seventh adult barnacle goose carries embedded pellets. This is evidenced in an X-ray study of barnacle geese caught in Western Jutland, Denmark, undertaken within the framework of DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, Aarhus University.

Barnacle geese

The Russian/Baltic population of barnacle geese is protected from hunting on their winter quarters in Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands, but has an open season in Russia. A recent study of barnacle geese undertaken in Western Jutland, Denmark, within the framework of the DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, Aarhus University, shows that nearly every seventh bird (+2 yrs) carries embedded shotgun pellets and that the inferred hunting kill is around 3-7%.

Legal shooting in Russia, granting of dispensation for shooting, mistaken identification by hunters of barnacle geese for the huntable pink-footed geese, but also illegal hunting along the migratory route of the birds and in Denmark are the most plausible explanations of the high infliction rate found in an X-ray study of 212 adult geese (+2 yrs). Nearly every seventh of the geese, approx. 13%, carried embedded pellets. Of 25 one-year-old birds nearly 6% carried embedded pellets.

The study was undertaken by biologist Thomas Eske Holm together with professor Jesper Madsen, both Aarhus University, and the results are described in the paper ”Incidence of embedded shotgun pellets and inferred hunting kill amongst Russian/Baltic Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis”.

“We have several testimonies saying that barnacle geese are shot illegally in Denmark, which may, of course, be a contributory reason for the high infliction rate. In Northern Russia barnacle geese are legally shot, but no official information exists on the size of the kill. However, Russian goose experts judge that only a few thousand barnacle geese are shot annually because many settlements in the Russian Arctic where the geese are hunted have been abandoned. Moreover, dispensation is given by a number of countries to regulate the species by shooting a limited number in areas where it causes agricultural conflicts, and finally hunters may mistake the barnacle geese for pink-footed geese, particularly when occurring in mixed populations,” says Thomas Eske Holm.

Røntgenfoto af bramgås med hagl

Barnacle goose with one embedded shotgun pellet. The bird was examined on 29 March 2011 at Vest Stadil Fjord in Western Jutland. (Photo: Thomas Eske Holm)

 

The population of the within EU protected barnacle goose has increased and now counts 770,000 individuals. Particularly in the Wadden Sea and Western Jutland, Denmark, the enhanced population has caused damage to farmland crops and grazing areas where the geese winter and forage in great numbers. In recent years the Danish National Nature Agency has given individual farmers dispensation for annual shooting of a highly limited number of individuals (up to 30), while in Germany 600 geese can be shot. In total, 1,800-3,000 geese are shot under license within the EU annually.

“The Russian hunting and the number and extent of dispensation can hardly explain why 13% of the barnacle geese are found with pellets. If this percentage is applied to the total population, 96,000 geese carry embedded pellets. The figures indicate that the population has been exposed to substantial hunting within the EU,” says Thomas Eske Holm.

He suggests that more knowledge of barnacle geese among hunters may minimise the risk of mistaking barnacle geese for other goose species.

In a comparison of data on barnacle goose with similar data on pink-footed goose, Thomas Eske Holm and Jesper Madsen estimate that between 3 and 7% of the barnacle goose population is shot annually. This corresponds to 26,300-58,300 geese.

“Even though the population has increased by approx. 8% annually, the indirectly inferred hunting kill is substantial and ought to be considered in connection with future management models for the population,” says Thomas Eske Holm.

Contact: Biologist Thomas Eske Holm, tel. +45 8715 8761, teh@dmu.dk
DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy 
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University

Incidence of embedded shotgun pellets and inferred hunting kill amongst Russian/Baltic Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis. Holm, T.E. & Madsen, J. 2012. European Journal of Wildlife Research. Online First. DOI: 10.1007/s10344-012-0649-8