I have appended the Hansard record of the Senate Estimates Committee discussion that led to the article in yesterday’s age and the Birding Aus thread “Bad news from Macquarie”
It doesn’t appear to contain anything that would indicate there had been any blundering or unexpected outcome in the rodent control program. Warning, the transcript contains AFL references.
Regards, Laurie.
– Environment and Communications Legislation Committee – 18/10/2011 – Estimates – SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENT, WATER, POPULATION AND COMMUNITIES PORTFOLIO
CHAIR: We will go to outcome 5, program 5.1, Conservation of Australia’s Heritage. Senator ABETZ: Can we revisit Macquarie Island and the culling that has taken place. Last time I was told that, as at 17 July 2011—when I say ‘last time’, I mean in a written answer to a question I asked last time—932 birds were found dead. Is there any update on that figure? Mr Hooy : Yes. Senator ABETZ: What is the casualty list now? Mr Hooy : The number of birds that have died in total for 2011 is 1,243. Senator ABETZ: So this is now a cumulative total? Mr Hooy : The total figure for 2010-11 is 2,190. Senator ABETZ: Can you give me a breakdown of the species as you have done before—not now but on notice, because time is very short? Mr Hooy : I can certainly do that. Senator ABETZ: Previously I was told that the birds that died had done so as a result of feeding off the corpses of the animals that had been poisoned. Mr Hooy : That is correct. Senator ABETZ: Are we saying that the 110 ducks actually fed off corpses? Mr Hooy : I see what you mean. Senator ABETZ: I would have thought petrels might but I am not sure ducks do. So I am wondering whether the ducks in fact partook of the pellets and whether that was foreseen by any of the people administering this scheme. Mr Hooy : I cannot speak for the ducks— Senator ABETZ: That is reassuring—especially the dead ducks! Although Senator Conroy can speak for the magpies! Senator Conroy: Sing for them! Senator BILYK: Please don’t! Senator Conroy: After Bob Katter I am in the clear! CHAIR: Senator Conroy, you have united the committee: no singing! Mr Hooy : I will not speak for the ducks. I cannot confirm whether the ingestion by the ducks had been anticipated. I do know that there was concern about the ingestion of bait by albatross chicks and that was looked at very, very closely. Senator ABETZ: Albeit we do not have any albatrosses on our mortality list. Mr Hooy : There are only a small number of wandering albatross on the island and people were stationed in the immediate vicinity when the bait was dropped, so it was able to be moved from the nests. Senator ABETZ: I will put further questions on notice. Thank you.
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Comments
One response to “The Macquarie Island Bird Toll Arising from Rodent Control in Context”
I think it would be really great if anybody with some good birding qualifications (I mean that look good when you sign your name at the end) could write an email to the main Tassie paper – The Mercury – explaining the situation. – You can do it via their website –
http://www.themercury.com.au/opinion/index.html
Abetz will probably be a senator until he retires, but it can’t hurt to correct the facts, and I think it’s especially important now because the state government is in massive financial trouble, with a $100+ million hole in the budget due to reduced GST revenue from the federal government, and so have to cut public funding everywhere. It’s easy to imagine that environmental spending like Macquarie Island will be cut, especially if it’s also hurting the government politically.
Jeremy O’Wheel
On Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 10:55 PM, Mike Honeyman < mike.honeyman@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
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