NAIA policy statement: Wildlife
Hunting and fishing
Once necessary for survival throughout the world, hunting and fishing continue
to provide a link to the earth and the cycle of life for many Americans. Today,
these pastimes provide opportunities for families to enjoy the outdoors together,
to learn about wildlife and the environment, and to reconnect with the past.
Here fathers and mothers teach sons and daughters respect for nature, wildlife
conservation, and survival skills.
Hunting and fishing today take on new meaning as game management tools, providing
both dollars and expertise for saving species and habitats and culling excess
populations of animals that destroy wildlife habitat and human property, serve
as reservoirs for zoonotic diseases, and present a danger to people and pets.
Groups like Safari Club International
and Buckmasters promote ethical hunting
and fund and administer programs to increase habitat for and understanding of
wild animals. Working with universities, state and national natural resources
divisions, and other conservation organizations, they donate millions of dollars
to grant programs and individual projects that conserve animals and habitat
throughout the world. They provide scholarships for students pursuing careers
in wildlife management, conduct education classes for hunters and fishermen,
and monitor legislation that affects their pastimes. Each year, members of these
organizations donate hundreds of thousands of pounds of wild game to food kitchens
and other programs to feed needy families.
In spite of these activities and with contempt for the hundreds of millions
of dollars that hunters and anglers raise for conservation and the millions
more they contribute to local economies, animal activists throughout the US
use a variety of means from direct confrontation of hunters in the field to
legislative initiatives, public condemnation campaigns, and perversion of regulations
to limit hunting, fishing, and related activities such as hunting dog field
trials.
NAIA recognizes the contributions of hunters and fishermen to wildlife and
habitat conservation, to needy families, to local economies and to education
about the natural world. As a result, NAIA supports responsible hunting and
fishing practiced in accordance with state and national fish and wildlife laws,
advocates scientific management of wildlife resources, and opposes laws and
regulations that abandon management or which base management on specious emotional
or superficial political arguments.
Suggested reading:
Trapping
Indigenous people in every culture have trapped animals throughout history
for food, pelts, to protect themselves, and to prevent predation on pets and
livestock. Trappers were among the first inland explorers, and an active and
lucrative trade in furs played a significant role in opening the US and Canadian
frontiers. As settlements expanded and human population has grown, the habitat
in which many species thrived has been fragmented and developed, and little
usable habitat remains in many parts of the country. Thus, in many areas, trapping
is essential to protect animals and habitat from the perils of overpopulation
and to shield humans and domestic animals from property damage, predation, and
transmission of diseases that affect wildlife, humans, and domestic animals.
Surplus populations of animals can also wreak havoc on urban and suburban waterways,
dams, and dikes; destroy timber stands; flood farms and roadways; infest hay
and grain storage silos; raid chicken coops and yards; serve as reservoirs for
tick-borne diseases; and contribute to the elimination of myriad prey species.
By managing these species so they do not overpopulate, a healthy number of animals
can thrive without significant damage to the environment, to other species,
to buildings, storm water drainage systems, canals and other human developments.
Therefore, NAIA supports responsible trapping as a necessary wildlife management
tool using the most advanced scientific methods and humane equipment and in
accordance with state and local laws.
Suggested reading:
Wildlife and wild lands
NAIA recognizes the value of wildlife and wild lands and supports private and
public efforts to conserve our natural wealth through incentives, partnerships,
voluntary easements, and educational efforts based on sound science, respect
for private property and individual rights, and sustainable use of resources.
As with all other circumstances in which man and animals interact, NAIA encourages
adoption of reasonable laws and rules to protect animals and opposes those that
arbitrarily criminalize human behavior, especially if they raise the accidental
"taking" of animals or alteration of habitat to a violation of law or result
in a loss of property or livelihood.
We believe that the federal Endangered
Species Act has become bloated beyond recognition and should be amended
to remove it from the realm of politics and placed firmly in the hands of objective
scientists who study animal population dynamics and species interactions and
consider sustainable use of resources and historical treaties and contracts
when writing and implementing species recovery plans.
We believe that endangered animals should be protected but that the needs of
humans and human enterprises must be considered when formulating plans to save
declining species, especially when populations occur on private property. People
should be able to protect their families and properties whether the animals
causing the problems are abundant or not. Furthermore, any law that has the
potential to increase animal populations to unwieldy numbers should be subjected
to scientific scrutiny, not enacted out of political concern or emotional consideration.
We believe that decisions affecting wildlife should be made by wildlife experts,
not desk jockeys, inexperienced political appointees, politicians eager for
re-election, or activists who favor any solution to a problem except hunting
and trapping and are willing to sacrifice farmers, loggers, and others to save
a species, subspecies, or population of non-domestic animals. NAIA opposes the
use of the courts to expand the scope of the ESA and abhors the bullying strategy
embraced by extreme environmental groups who sue the federal government for
decisions to place ever more species and land under the aegis of the federal
government.
NAIA supports multiple uses of state and federal parklands and other natural
areas and believes that game management, reauthorization of the federal Endangered
Species Act, and disbursement of Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson sportsmen's
conservation funds should depend on scientific study, not politics, emotion,
or public pressure. We encourage the use of habitat
conservation plans and support federal and state "safe harbor" and "no surprises"
policies that maintain the right of landowners to use their property even though
endangered species are present.
Suggested reading:
Predators
While reintroduction of predators to their former ranges in national parks
and wilderness areas may be appropriate if substantiated by scientific study
conducted by wildlife biologists, NAIA believes that such reintroductions should
not be attempted without full consideration of species impact on private property
owners in lands adjacent to the selected area.
When predators are reinstated in an area, farmers, ranchers, and pet owners
should be allowed to protect their families and livestock if conflicts arise
between human interests and predator activity. In addition, the impact of the
introduced species on the existing flora and fauna of the region and the likelihood
that an introduced population will survive without interference by man should
be considered, and a plan for ongoing study of the introduced population should
be implemented.
NAIA believes that laws that increase predator populations by limiting hunting
should be passed only when scientific evidence clearly indicates that such limits
are necessary. Predator impact on protected prey species should be considered,
hunting limits should be reviewed periodically to see if restrictions should
be lifted, and predator control should be accomplished by licensed hunters from
the general population, not sharpshooters hired at taxpayer expense.
Suggested reading:
Marine mammals
NAIA recognizes the need to protect rare and endangered marine mammals and
supports these efforts when they are backed by ongoing assessments of species
populations and environmental health. NAIA favors
rewriting the Marine Mammal Protection Act to accommodate sustainable
hunting of marine mammals and sale of marine mammal products by indigenous people
such as the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic and
by communities that depend on the meat and skins for survival. NAIA also supports
sustainable hunting of whales and the international
sale of whale products by coastal and island communities throughout the world.
Dolphins, killer whales, and manatees in zoos and aquaria give millions of
families chances to see these magnificent animals, appreciate the relationships
forged between them and their trainers, and learn about the oceans and their
creatures. These displays also provide scientists with opportunities to study
the biology and behavior of these species and develop reproductive strategies
to aid in saving endangered species. NAIA values the organizations that present
these opportunities while providing for the well-being of the animals involved
and educating the public about their habits and their ocean environments.
For more information about marine mammals and indigenous people, see the Inuit
Tapirisat of Canada and the High
North Alliance
Suggested reading:
Wild birds
Migratory birds - including songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, gamebirds, and
raptors - are protected by federal law, and possession of these birds or their
feathers, nests, or eggs is forbidden except while engaged in lawful hunting.
However, increased numbers and large non-migrating populations of some species
of migratory birds - Canada geese, double-crested cormorants, and snow geese,
for example - may necessitate management plans that allow culling. NAIA therefore
supports well-devised and implemented plans to reduce the numbers of birds when
habitat destruction and property damage result from overpopulation. These plans
may range from the use of herding dogs to drive birds from airport runways,
golf courses, parks, and other areas to limited hunts or other methods to kill
the birds. NAIA believes that each community should devise its own solution
based on local considerations, not on emotion or politics.
NAIA encourages the use of habitat
conservation plans that serve migratory birds along the flyways and supports
"safe harbor" and "no surprises" policies that maintain the rights of landowners
to use their property even though protected birds are present. NAIA especially
supports the use of wetlands mitigation policies that provide for land use with
no net loss of valuable wetlands habitat.
Suggested reading:
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