Issue Brief from the Ornithological Council

Volume 1
Number 1, 3d edition, March 1999

WILD GOOSE CHASE: An overabundance of geese

THE ISSUE

Many goose populations have been increasing tremendously in recent years resulting in these geese causing extensive habitat damage. Populations of Lesser and Greater Snow Geese, Ross' Geese ("mid-continent light geese") and resident Canada Geese have quadrupled in the past 30 years. Overabundant geese are causing millions of dollars in damage annually to agricultural crops, public parks, golf courses, and inflicting extensive damage to sensitive Arctic ecosystems. Damage to Arctic vegetation by large numbers of feeding geese is destroying habitat which will takes decades to repair, if it can recover at all. Food resources for other species are being depleted.

POLICY ISSUES

Control of super-abundant geese populations requires several actions. The Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group, comprised of Canadian and U.S. biologists, has recommended strategies to reduce overabundant goose populations. Management strategies are being developed on an international scale. The overabundant goose problem encompasses the North American continent and cannot be resolved at the local level.

Actions that have already been taken:

(1) Liberalized hunting regulations have been instituted in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, increasing bag limits and extending hunting seasons to the maximum days allowed under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

(2) Increased subsistence hunting by native peoples has been allowed in Canada and is now being encouraged in the U.S.

(3) Additional areas, such as refuges, have been opened to hunting. Refuge managers are encouraged to focus attention on the mid-continent populations of Greater and Lesser Snow Geese and Ross' Goose.

(4) On 16 February 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a new rule authorizing the use of additional hunting methods (unplugged shotguns and electronic callers) which will result in increased hunting success. The FWS also established a conservation order that allows states to initiate aggressive harvest management strategies without having to obtain individual permits. The stated goal of these measures is to reduce the population of mid-continent light geese by half (to approximately 1.6 million birds) over the next three years. The Canadian Wildlife Service has implemented similar changes, as well as Sunday hunting and increasing daily bag limits.

(5) The FWS is considering a Canada Goose damage management program that will allow states to develop and implement plans to control the populations of locally-breeding (resident) Canada Geese.

THE FACTS

Currently, the mid-continent population of Lesser Snow Geese exceeds 3,000,000 birds, an increase of 300% since 1969. Greater Snow Geese have increased from 50,000 in the mid-1960's to more than 600,000 in the mid-1990's. Mid-continent light goose populations have quadrupled in numbers from 1966 to the present. In addition, Canada and the U.S. now have more than 2 million resident Canada Geese. "Nuisance" populations of geese are abundant in urban areas such as parks and golf courses.

Increased goose populations are brought on by 1) high adult survival facilitated by large agricultural areas that provide geese with nutritious winter feed, and 2) the establishment of a series of refuge areas for migrating and wintering waterfowl which provide additional food resources and sanctuary. Historically, goose populations were limited by lower food resources, less wintering habitat, and fewer migration staging areas.

Many problems arise from overabundant goose populations. Physiological stress has caused reduced body size of geese. Large, dense populations of geese create a string of effects throughout coastal Arctic ecosystems by contributing to changes in water chemistry and altering plant communities, creating additional adverse impacts on invertebrate populations. Fecal droppings in suburban areas spur the rapid spread of parasites and diseases. Geese carry avian cholera, a disease to which all waterfowl are susceptible. Overabundant goose populations cause airplane strikes, extensive agricultural damage and crop loss. Crop damage by greater snow geese in Quebec, Canada cost $700,000 in 1995, up from $466,000 in 1992.

The feeding methods of geese cause habitat damage. Geese use their bills to dig and overturn soil in search of food such as grain, roots, and tubers. They also pull the shoots of large sedges and other plant species. These behaviors, coupled with grazing by these large populations, causes substantial damage to vegetation, ruining it for use by other species. Damage to the vegetation results in bare patches of ground that become dry and hypersaline and often loose the topsoil that is rich in organic matter. It is estimated that tens of thousands of acres of Arctic habitat have been heavily damaged.

Other species such as ducks, less common goose species, shorebirds and songbirds are adversely impacted when large flocks of geese destroy their habitat (particularly nesting habitat). For example, populations of Central Arctic Ross' and snow geese are encroaching on habitat preferred by small Canada and white-fronted geese. Loss of habitat and competition from other geese has caused the Atlantic migratory populations of Canada geese to drop to the point that sport hunting of them has been closed in the U.S. Pacific Brant, Atlantic Brant, and Wrangle Island snow geese are also below historical levels.

Management of increasing mid-continent light goose populations must go beyond traditional methods, such as liberalized hunting regulations. New management techniques are required to protect the Arctic ecosystem, protect resources used by other species, and reduce losses to agricultural and private lands. Modifications to agricultural practices that were developed primarily to benefit migratory waterfowl might be considered. This is also an opportunity to shift the focus of the National Wildlife Refuges from waterfowl management to providing suitable habitat for other game and nongame migratory birds, many of which are experiencing habitat loss and population declines.

References:

Batt, B.D.J., ed. 1997. Arctic ecosystems in peril: report of the Arctic Goose habitat working group. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. and Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa. 120p.

Rockwell, R.F., K.F. Abraham, and R.L. Jefferies. 1997. The Best Laid Plans: What Happens When Conservation Efforts Work Too Well?. Living Bird. Winter 1997 p. 16-23.

For further information, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov.

This publication has been reviewed by professional ornithologists under the auspices of the Ornithological Council. For further information you may contact the Ornithological Council. Produced with the assistance of the Office of Migratory Bird Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Citation: Ornithological Council 1997. Wild Goose Chase: an overabundance of geese. Bird Issue Brief Vol.1, No.1, 3rd edition, March 1999. Washington, D.C.

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