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Migratory Game Bird Hunting Season

Update on Migratory Game Bird Hunting Season for Newfoundland and Labrador

The Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is highlighting several important considerations for migratory gamebird hunting in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) for the 2022-2023 season.

 

Modernization of Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations

A free Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit for minors (under 18 years of age) has been introduced.  This initiative was suggested by hunters, and will encourage younger hunters to hunt waterfowl with their mentor without the cost of having to purchase a Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit.

There are also new provisions that allow legally harvested waterfowl to be transported with either a fully feathered wing or head to be used for species identification.  This change provides hunter’s choice on how they field dress birds for transportation.

Waterfowl that are preserved in a location outside of the hunting area do not count towards the possession limit.  Preserved means eviscerated and plucked, or edible portions removed, and then frozen, made into sausage, cooked dried, canned or smoked.

For Murres, the possession limit applies to all murres including those that have been preserved.

Under the Migratory Birds Regulations 2022, it is prohibited to abandon migratory game bird meat harvested under a migratory game bird hunting permit, and there are rules surrounding the gifting of migratory game bird meat to another person or the holder of a charity permit.

For more information on the modernized Migratory Birds Regulations please consult the ECCC web site    Hunting regulations summary for migratory birds: Newfoundland and Labrador – Canada.ca

 

Reporting Bands

We remind hunters that it is important to report any band found on a migratory bird by entering its number on reportband.gov. Recovered banding data is essential for many conservation projects, as well as for setting waterfowl hunting regulations and understanding how diseases like Avian Influenza and Avian Cholera affect waterfowl populations.

 

Avian Influenza

Hunter Safety

Avian influenza has been documented in waterfowl and other gamebirds throughout Atlantic Canada, including strains that are highly pathogenic to both wild and domestic birds.  Hunters should consult Public Health Agency of Canada’s “Recommendations for Hunters of Wild Birds and Other Susceptible Wildlife” before handling and consuming wild birds.   Hunters should not harvest or consume birds found dead or that look sick.  Hunters should cook game meats thoroughly before consumption.  There is no evidence to suggest that fully cooked game meat, organs, or eggs are a source of avian influenza infection for people.

Use of Retrieving Dogs

Standing advice prepared by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and endorsed by U.K. Governments, is that retrieving dogs are not at any particular risk from bird flu but as a precaution do not allow dogs to eat any wild birds found dead and do not feed uncooked birds to animals. Well cooked birds can be safely consumed by humans and animals alike. Dogs are known to have contracted certain strains of flu and therefore precautions are warranted. Dog owners should prevent contact with sick or dead birds that were not harvested and should as a safety precaution limit the amount of time that dogs are interacting with retrieved birds. Owners should prevent contact between their dogs and wild bird feces, to the extent possible.

 

Export of Migratory Game Birds

As of 2022-09-12 there are no Canadian Food Inspection Agency control zones in Atlantic Canada and hunters can freely move birds throughout the Atlantic Provinces However, hunters that are transporting birds in Canada should check the map on the CFIA website regularly as control zones may change.

On September 2, 2022, US Department of Agricultrue Animal and Plant Health Inspection Serivce (USDA APHIS) issued a stakeholder alert implementing restrictions on hunter harvested wild bird meat/carcasses from all of Canada, regardless of province, due to the risk of transmitting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). HPAI is an extremely infectious poultry disease spreading throughout North America, primarily by wild birds. APHIS regulations implement strict import controls to prevent HPAI introductions resulting from people transporting contaminated wildlife meat, carcasses, and trophies into the United States.

APHIS has been working with stakeholders and other federal agencies to provide options for importing hunter-harvested wild bird meat/carcasses that address the HPAI transmission risk to our domestic poultry. Effective September 12, APHIS will allow the import of hunter harvested wild bird meat/carcasses as outlined below.

Unprocessed hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses, originating from or transiting Canada, must meet following conditions:

  • Viscera, head, neck, feet, skin, and one wing have been removed; and
  • Feathers have been removed, with the exception of one wing – as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for species identification; and
  • Carcasses must be rinsed in fresh, clean, potable water prior to packaging and must not have visible evidence of contamination with dirt, blood, or feces; and
  • Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging and stored in a leak proof cooler or container during transport and import; and
  • Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport and import.

APHIS further recommends that boots and any equipment used to process the carcasses should be clean and visibly free from dirt, blood, tissue, and feces.

Cooked or cured meat and meat products (for example, sausage, jerky, etc.) will not be allowed import as U.S. FWS requirements cannot be met to identify the species of wild bird.

Hunter-harvested wild game bird trophies entering the United States from Canada must be fully finished, or accompanied by a VS import permit, or consigned directly to a USDA Approved Establishment. Hunters may find an approved taxidermy establishment by visiting the Veterinary Services Process Streamlining (VSPS) search page and searching for a taxidermist with the HPAI product code in your state.

For any questions regarding import of animal products and by-products, please contact Animal Product Imports at 301-851-3300 or send an email to APIE@usda.gov.

For US Fish and Wildlife requirements for the hunter harvested wild game birds from Canada, please contact them at www.fws.gov.

 

Murre Management

Status of Murre populations and harvest in Canada

Two species of Murres comprise the harvest in NL: the Thick-billed Murre and the Common Murre. It is estimated that there are 789,000 breeding pairs of Common Murres at 25 colonies in Newfoundland and Labrador, with an additional 96,000 breeding pairs at colonies in Quebec.  After accounting for non-breeding Common Murres, the estimated number in Canadian waters of the North Atlantic is approximately 3.2 million individuals.

Thick-billed Murres are highly migratory and those wintering in Canadian waters come from a broader geographic area than Common Murres.  The Canadian breeding population of Thick-billed Murres is approximately 1.5 million breeding pairs mostly from colonies in the Eastern Canadian High Arctic and the Hudson Bay / Strait area.  When non-breeding Thick-billed Murres are factored in, the total estimated number attributed to Canadian colonies is approximately 5.5 million individuals.

The combined total number of Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres from Canadian sources is roughly 8.7 million individuals.

The estimated annual harvest of Murres in Canada ranges from 60,000-120,000.  Annual variation in harvest is due in part to weather conditions (onshore winds and ice conditions) that can make birds more susceptible to hunting activity as well as hunting intensity. On average 75% of murres harvested in NL are Thick-billed Murres.

Late winter die-offs of seabirds, and murres specifically, are not unusual. Thick-billed Murres experienced mortality during the late winter of 2022.  Birds sampled subsequently tested negative for avian influenza.  Birds were observed in a large geographic area, were emaciated, consistent with birds starving due to a lack of access to food. There were no reports that Canadian Thick-billed Murre colonies experienced significant mortalities in 2022 due to HPAI.

Common Murre colonies in Québec and the island of Newfoundland experienced mortalities during the summer of 2022 due to HPAI.  Mortalities were noted in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence in late May. In early July, murres began to wash up on beaches in southern Newfoundland, with the likely origin being the Cape St. Mary’s colony. Mortalities were then noted in eastern Newfoundland, implicating the breeding colonies in Witless Bay and other colonies on the northeast coast. Nearly 2000 murre carcasses have been recorded up to September 1, 2022. HPAI testing confirmed positive cases among these mortalities.  During the summer of 2022, the Canadian Wildlife Service undertook a variety of surveys to better understand the extent and impact of avian influenza on Common Murre colonies.  This included an aerial survey over Funk and Cabot Islands on July 27.  From aerial photographs, the murre colonies appeared healthy based on extent of occupied breeding areas and density of individuals within those areas.  CWS conducted murre surveys during the first part of July in Witless Bay prior to seabird mortality being observed.  CWS re-visited Witless Bay on August 22 and noted that large numbers of murres were still present on the island and observations from a distance revealed that they were successfully raising chicks, which appeared healthy. CWS continues to assess mortality in wild birds associated with HPAI.

 

Regulatory Response

As of September 12, 2022, CWS is not considering changing migratory bird hunting regulations to reduce the harvest of Murres in NL during the 2022-2023 hunting season. Most birds harvested by murre hunters are Thick-billed Murres. Mortality associated with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been largely restricted to Common Murres, which represent a smaller portion of birds harvested.  Based on the best available data at this time, the mortality of Common Murres along with observed overwinter mortality (unrelated to HPAI) of Thick-billed Murres, while concerning, is not sufficient to warrant a change in hunting regulations when total population size is considered.  CWS can however invoke an emergency closure of murre hunting on a local or province-wide scale if conditions lead to excessive harvest.

All hunters are reminded that it is an offense to harvest more than 20 murres per day or to be in possession of more than 40 murres.  It is illegal to sell, buy or barter murres.  Members of the public can support the sustainable management of murres by not engaging in the illegal sale or purchase of murres.  Wildlife Enforcement officers will be actively pursuing offenders, and upon conviction, the mandatory minimum of $5000 per offence is consistently being applied in the courts of NL, in addition to the potential forfeiture of guns, boats and vehicles.

 

If you have questions on the Migratory Birds Regulations, you may contact the Canadian Wildlife Service at enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca or to speak to someone please call toll free 1-800-668-6767.