Following a postponement due to flooding, Victoria’s annual helicopter duck survey resumes today. The survey will start over parts of western and south-western Victoria and move across the state before finishing on Monday, 12 December.
The aerial survey will be conducted by experienced wildlife biologists recording the presence, species and number of game ducks on waterbodies across Victoria. Satellite imaging will then determine how much water is in the landscape, which will inform an estimate of the total abundance of each game duck species in the state. Game Management Authority (GMA) Research Principal Jason Flesch said this is Victoria’s largest and most comprehensive survey of game ducks.
“This is the third year the monitoring program has been conducted which provides critical data on the abundance of game ducks in Victoria,” Dr Flesch said. “This year, the survey will be expanded to cover more wetlands, sewerage ponds, farm dams, irrigation channels, creeks and rivers. In total, 800 waterbodies will be surveyed by air and another 66 by ground crews”.
Dr Flesch explained how the aerial survey fits in with the other monitoring and data collection efforts relating to game ducks. “Results from this research give a better understanding of game duck populations and will be used in the future to inform adaptive harvest management.”
As Victoria moves towards an adaptive harvest model, an interim harvest model is used to inform season settings. The model uses long-running duck population data information to explore the relationship between abundance and habitat availability for Victoria and eastern Australia. This generates five indices that provide information on the current population status of ducks in south-eastern Australia. Collectively, these five indices are awarded points and, when totalled, equal the proposed daily bag limit, which could range from zero (closed season) to ten. A feature of the interim model is an understanding that bag limits, rather than season length modifications, are the most appropriate levers to pull to manipulate the total harvest.
SSAA Victoria understands that the GMA will receive the interim harvest model report and recommendations in Mid December 2022. From there, a stakeholder consultation will occur beginning in the first week of January. Victoria’s duck hunters should not be in a position of waiting for an ‘announcement’ of the duck season settings. Victoria’s duck season for 2023 is regulated to commence on Saturday, 18 March 2023. In recent years, the Victorian government has chosen to open duck season on Wednesday rather than a Saturday. This year, SSAA Victoria successfully advocated for the season to commence on the Wednesday before the scheduled opening. It is reasonable for Victorian hunters to expect that the 2023 season will open on Wednesday, 15 March 2023 and close on Monday, 12 June 2023.
