Moose cull not supported

The Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters has, for a number of years, expressed concern with respect to the moose population on Cape Breton Island and, in particular, within the boundaries of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

No one listened and no one wanted to participate in consultation. Parks Canada ignored the warnings and now wishes to conduct a moose cull that will see a 90 per cent reduction of moose within the park boundaries over the next decade.

Phase, 1, a scientific study, championed by Parks Canada and under the direction of the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, will see 90 per cent of all moose in a specific 20-sq.km test area killed. This cull is scheduled to start in mid-to-late November. This elimination of moose will be used to test the theory that any remaining moose and moose from nearby areas will not infiltrate the 20-sq.km test area once the first resident moose are killed and removed. This science and plan are flawed and just as important is the fact it is all being done without proper consultation with the people of Nova Scotia.

I feel the time for a correction in the moose population has come and gone. Parks Canada staff, studying the moose population found within the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, took so long to get a grip on the problem that the whole situation has changed right before their eyes. There was over-abundance back in the early 2000s when they started counting moose but today the moose population in this area has decreased to a manageable number. Their own data shows a significant decline in population since that time.

Let’s be perfectly clear. Parks Canada has not consulted with or listened to the Federation of Anglers & Hunters yet we have been told to sign on to their Hyperabundant Moose Management Plan. Plain and simple.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers & Hunters does not support the current Hyper-abundant Moose Management Plan as proposed by Parks Canada. We are in full support of plans that reflect the North American Model for Wildlife Management that states sustainability and not elimination best benefits the ecosystem and all the plants and animals within that system.

The idea to reduce the number of moose in the park in order to protect the ecosystem of the park was a good one back in 2002 but even then it was proposed by the federation that management of the herd would be done on a sustainable basis. Today, due to other circumstances like weather, dwindling food within the study area and winter-kill, the number of moose has been naturally reduced so we don’t see a need for a cull, but we still need a plan for sustainability.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters is dedicated to the conservation and propagation of the wildlife in the province for those who hunt, fish, trap or otherwise wish to enjoy the wildlife resources of Nova Scotia. This will be accomplished by education, cooperation and exchange of information with all people and by uniting provincial organizations having similar objectives.

For more information on the Federation, go to nsfah.ca, or contact us via email: Mike Pollard: secretary@nsfah.ca or Ian Avery – fedpres@nsfah.ca

Michael Pollard Secretary Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers & Hunters