The State’s leading shooting organisation has slammed the Victorian Government’s announcement of a heavily modified duck season.
“There is a scientific justification for a four-bird bag limit but not for any other modifications. ” SSAA Victoria’s Hunting Development Manager David Laird said “Independent, expert ecologists developed Victoria’s Interim Harvest Model and recommended a full-length season for 2023 with a four-bird bag limit. The Interim Harvest Model explicitly states that there is no rationale for modifying season lengths.”
The Government went to an election just ninety days ago and committed to the Interim Harvest Model, moving towards an adaptive harvest model. “The hunting organisations met with the relevant Minister, and the Government’s commitment to the status quo in that regard was clear,” Mr Laird said, “if the Government had other ideas, they had an opportunity to seek a mandate from the Victorian public for them”.
Mr Laird also attacked the Government’s announcement of a select committee to examine native bird hunting “the South Australian Government took a similar proposal to their recent State Election” Mr Laird said, “it looks both timid and tricky for the Victorian Government to have not done the same”.
