Commercial Harvest
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--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
*any reference to 'kangaroos' in this section is a reference to the commercially harvested species, including Red Kangaroos, Western Grey Kangaroos and Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and Common Wallaroos, unless otherwise specified*
Contents |
Commercial Harvesting
--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
While some species of kangaroos and wallabies are endangered or extinct, according to the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), the only species that are subject to commercial harvesting are common species that are abundant.[1] The commercial harvesting of common species of kangaroos enables the ecologically sustainable use of kangaroos.[2]
Since European settlement in Australia, the three largest species of kangaroos, Red kangaroos, Eastern grey kangaroos and Western grey kangaroos, have thrived to the extent that they are now abundant.[3] The abundance of these species has created problems for herbivores dependent on pastures. For Grigg, “How an animal lives is more important than how it dies and that, with the heavy grazing pressure on rangelands, many of the resident herbivores spend much time nutritionally deprived, especially under drought conditions. This further emphasises the need for better rangeland management.”[4] Considering that large numbers of kangaroos create heavy grazing pressure and malnutrition amongst herbivores particularly during drought, commercial harvesting is important element of rangeland management and to relieve grazing pressure.
Amongst graziers and landowners in Australia, there is a perception that kangaroos are pests in competition with sheep and cattle for food and water. According to Pople and Grigg, “there is no doubt that kangaroos compete with domestic livestock for food and water and, although the extent of this damage are very difficult to quantify, there is no doubt that kangaroos are clearly perceived as pests by the bulk of primary producers whose land they share. The main concern is that they consume pasture and, when this is scarce, the concern is heightened.”[5] This perception has caused State Governments to allow the non-commercial shooting of kangaroos for the purpose of damage mitigation.[6]
Since graziers perceive kangaroos as pests, Pople and Grigg argue that Australian Governments use the commercial harvesting of kangaroos to fund pest control measures for kangaroos.[7] Since non-commercial harvests of kangaroos often lead to the carcass remaining in the paddocks where the shooting took place, it is arguable that commercial harvesting of kangaroos is preferable to the wasting of an important resource providing high-quality leather and meat with nutritional benefits for humans.[8]
Road Kill near Junee, Central West Region, NSW,
photographed by
Jennifer Marohasy, July 4th 2008
--Nichole Hoskin 14:21, 24 July 2008 (EST)
Kangaroos as a Resource
--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
The economic value of kangaroos arises from their value for tourism, meat and hides.[9] While Pople and Grigg argue it is difficult to quantify the value of kangaroos in tourism, there is a very high value attached to kangaroos remaining highly visible on the Australian landscape since they are part of the unique Australian environment that attracts international tourists.[10]
According to Pople and Grigg, the trade in hides is the backbone of the industry because kangaroo leather is a valuable commodity with a particularly high strength to weight ratio, while being very fine and pliable, with more than 50% of kangaroos commercially shot each year are utilised for their hides.[11] The reason for this appears to factors such as the large distances between harvest areas and markets, high temperatures and low population density.[12]
Products arising from the commercial harvest of kangaroos are utilised both domestically and internationally in more than 55 countries.[13] According to the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA), “The kangaroo industry currently generates in excess of $200 million per year in income and employs over 4,000 people.”[14] However, there appear to be problems finding markets for kangaroo meat products since there is evidence that the largest consumers of Kangaroo meat are unaware they are eating Kangaroo in their ‘no-name’ sausages bought in Vladivostok.[15]
Despite this apparent reluctance by people to eat kangaroo meat, a recent national consumer survey of 1600 people by University of New South Wales, for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, challenges this view. This survey’s findings suggest, “Kangaroo consumption has risen from 51% to 58.5% in the past decade” and that there are differences in kangaroo consumption between men and women and between various states.[16] The survey found that 28% of women would refuse to eat kangaroo on principle, compared to 11% of men and “New South Wales had the highest number of objectors (22%)."[17]
The survey also found that most Australians are unaware that landholders do not farm or manage kangaroos through fencing, since in Australia there are “no kangaroo farms and landholders generally have no management over kangaroos on their properties, yet 65% of people believed that kangaroo is either fenced in on farms or free ranging in a similar way to sheep and cattle on large stations.”[18] Despite these misconceptions, according to Peter Ampt, a researcher at the University of New South Wales and one of the report’s authors, “Consumers are largely unaware that kangaroos are wild harvested, but knowledge that they are isn’t a barrier to its acceptance.”[19] However, further research is necessary, with larger numbers of individuals surveyed, to establish conclusively and comprehensively these findings as representative of the views of Australian consumers.
Harvested Species
--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
In 2007, the species commercially harvested include the:
1. Red kangaroo (Macropus refus) harvested in Qld, NSW, SA and WA
2. Eastern grey kangaroo (M. giganteus) harvested in Qld and NSW,
3. Western grey kangaroo (M. fuliginosus) harvested in NSW, SA and WA
4. Common Wallaby or Euro (M. robustus) harvested in Qld, NSW and SA
5. Bennetts Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) harvested on Flinders Island and King Island, Tasmania and
6. Tasmanian Pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) harvested on Flinders Island, Tasmania.[20]
The Red kangaroo, the Eastern grey kangaroo, and the Western grey kangaroo are approximately 90% of the commercial harvest because these species are the most abundant species.[21]
The Harvesting Process
--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
Harvesting of Kangaroos occurs at night, by shooting, on private leasehold or freehold land with the permission of the landholder.[22] In general, landholders usually allow predominantly self-employed shooters on their property, free of charge, primarily for pest-control and to provide the landholder with information about domestic stock, water supplies, fences and gates.[23] It is often useful for landholders to get to know and trust the shooters allowed on their property.[24]
The processing of harvested kangaroos depends on the whether State legislation requires the harvesting of meat and skins, as in New South Wales and South Australia, or whether exclusive harvesting of the skin occurs, as in Queensland. In relation to the harvesting of meat, there are differing processes depending on whether the meat is for human consumption or for pet food.
In Queensland, where the harvesting is only for skins, shooters stop periodically to skin animals, leaving the carcasses as carrion in paddocks where raptors and feral foxes or pigs fed of the carcass.[25] A skin shooter usually has an assistant to help with skinning and can handle over 100 kangaroos per night.[26]
The harvesting process differs in New South Wales and South Australia because laws in these states require the harvesting of meat and skins. This effectively limits the number of harvested carcasses in one night to the carrying capacity of the truck, usually about 50 carcasses.[27] If the meat is for human consumption, shooters must comply with strict regulations to ensure the hygienic harvesting of meat and comply with the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos (see Animal Welfare, Code of Practice).[28] Under regulations for the hygienic harvesting of meat, trucks used for harvesting kangaroos must meet standards that ensure easy cleaning and the washing of all implements between each processing bout.[29] After harvesting, the shooter is required to deliver the load of carcasses to the refrigerated field ‘chiller’, which is usually at a local town depot, in the early morning before temperatures begin to rise.[30] Refrigerated transport collects the carcasses for delivery at the processing works, where the removal of skins occurs and butchering of the carcasses occurs in the same way as meat from domestic stock.[31]
The imposition of strict regulations on harvesting of kangaroos for human consumption has had the effect of encouraging shooters to gain greater qualifications to ensure the hygienic handling of field-shot game.[32] Thus, the factor of human consumption of kangaroo meat means that there is increased regulation of kangaroo harvesting and increasing skill-levels amongst shooters.
Commercial Harvest Quotas
--Nichole Hoskin 21:13, 27 June 2008 (EST)
Quotas are set yearly by State Government as a proportion of estimated populations for the previous year in harvesting areas (commercial zones).[33] Population estimates are complied on the basis of data collected from aerial and ground surveys of populations in harvesting areas, with corrections made to eliminate factors that affect the accuracy of surveys.[34]
For Pople and Grigg, it is necessary to conduct effective population monitoring to ensure that commercial harvesting of kangaroos is sustainable because kangaroo populations fluctuate in response to seasonal conditions and setting annual quotas enables reductions in populations in commercial harvesting zones to be reflected in reductions in annual quotas.[35]
Commercial harvesting quotas do not correspond to the numbers of kangaroos killed under the quotas since an average of 63% of the annual quota were harvested between 2001 and 2005.[36] The trend of lower numbers of kangaroos killed than the quota appears to be a consistent trend, which at least extends to the early 1980s for Eastern grey kangaroos and Western grey kangaroos and the early 1990s for Red kangaroos, see Tables 3-4.[37] The difference between quotas and numbers killed results from the quotas operating as an upper harvest limit, that is independent of factors such as demand for products and industry capacity.[38]
According to the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, "The 2007 sustainable harvest quota represents about 15.3% (ranging from 14% to 20% depending on species and state) of estimated populations of the four kangaroo species that are commercially harvested on the mainland. The scientific community and state management agencies consider that annual harvest levels in the order of 15% of the populations for Grey kangaroos and Wallaroos, and 20 per cent of Red kangaroo populations, are sustainable."[39]
Table 3, ‘Quotas and Kangaroos Killed Commercially’
Table 4,‘Quotas and Kangaroos Killed Commercially’
Factors considered in setting quotas
When setting quotas for the commercial harvesting of kangaroos, State Government authorities consider factors such as:
1. Current population trends
2. Reviews of previous harvests
3. Climatic conditions
4. The significance of non-commercial harvests
5. The proportion of the population not subject to harvesting
6. Information on other forms of mortality apart from harvesting
7. Reports of damage to primary production[40]
Consideration of these and other relevant factors enables quotas to be sustainable through being responsive to fluctuations in kangaroo populations in harvesting areas, with an acknowledgement of the diverse range of factors that can affect kangaroo population size.[41]
Commercial Harvesting during drought
Evidence of the effects of the 1981-1983 drought suggests that kangaroo populations within harvesting areas decline during drought, with a recovery to pre-drought levels after good rainfall.[42] Evidence from the early 1990s Queensland drought suggests that commercial harvesting can continue throughout the drought, with harvesting rates at close to 20% of the population, without impeding the kangaroo’s ability to recover quickly when the drought ends.[43]
References
1. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 2
2. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 2
3. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 1, p 1.
4. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 9, p 3.
5. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 5.
6. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, pp 3-4.
7. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 1.
8. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, pp 1-3.
9. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 1.
10. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 1.
11. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 2.
12. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 7, p 2.
13. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 2.
14. John Kelly, Kangaroo Industry Background, Kangaroo Industry Background, p 1. (by John Kelly, Director of Lenah Games Meats in Launceston, Tasmania and Executive Officer of Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia)
15. Jennifer Marohasy, 23rd September 2005, Online Opinion, ‘Let’s eat kangaroo’, p 1.
16. Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales, March 12 2008, News and Opinions, ‘More Aussies dining on Skippy’, p 1.
17. Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales, March 12 2008, News and Opinions, ‘More Aussies dining on Skippy’, p 1.
18. Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales, March 12 2008, News and Opinions, ‘More Aussies dining on Skippy’, p 1.
19. Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales, March 12 2008, News and Opinions, ‘More Aussies dining on Skippy’, p 1.
20. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 2.
21. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 2.
22. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 4.
23. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 4.
24. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 4.
25. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
26. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
27. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
28. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
29. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
30. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
31. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 5.
32. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, 'Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 5, p 4.
33. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 3. See also: Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 4, p 1.
34. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 4, p 4.
35. Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 4, p 4.; Tony Pople and Gordon Grigg, Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Chapter 1, p1.
36. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 3.
37. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 3.
38. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 3.
39. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 4.
40. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 4.
41. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 4.
42. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 4.
43. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Background Information: Commercial Kangaroo and Wallaby Harvest Quotas, p 4.
Related Links
Regulation of Commercial Harvesting
