WFSA Current News - March, 2004 

March 29, 2004

Irish call to have lawful gun owners heard
            The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) has criticized the Environment Minister, Martin Cullen, at a rally in Tullamore, County Offaly. The Minister failed to implement the findings of a review of a ban on shooting on public lands, claiming that safety was his main concern.
            The NARGC comprises the Countryside Alliance of Ireland, the Irish Coursing Club, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers and the Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland.
            An independent scientific working group completed a substantial report as far back as June of 2002. Its brief was the validity of a no-shooting policy. The report was handed to the government. Its findings have never been made public, or discussed with the NARGC, which was involved in funding it.
            The NARGC Director also heavily criticized the suggestion that safety is an issue, and in a statement ( http://www.nargc.ie/shooting%20on%20state%20lands.htm ) said that conservation matters are being ignored in favour of political expediency. He said: “As an organisation, the NARGC is both a shooting and conservation body and it would go against our fundamental beliefs to damage a conservation area. Additionally, why are other groups allowed access to State lands and we are not? The only answer can be that the Government does not want us shooting at all.”

March 4, 2004

Scottish problems with passive wildlife use
            One of the biggest problems of modern-day conservation is the belief that well-meaning preservationism is a substitute for more active animal management. Eco-tourism demands substantial viewing of animals in their habitat, and this in itself rarely generates an environment where species can thrive.
            The Scotsman has run an article today – http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=252832004 – in which this problem is highlighted. The article says many scientists now assert that animals are dying as a result of incursions into their territory, and cites penguins and polar bears as examples of populations under stress from the activities of observers.

March 3, 2004

Hunting rights in Azerbaijan
            It was reported in Azer-Press today that under the new draft hunting legislation proceeding through the parliament there, foreign visitors to Azerbaijan will be permitted to apply for hunting permits. In addition, hunting grounds are to be financed from state funds and environmental protection organizations.
            This is sustainable use of wildlife at work. The potential for generating revenue from foreign currency is high, and many undeveloped nations have used it to good effect.

March 1, 2004

Enshrining the right to hunt
            An article by Bob Hodge, writing in the Tennessee–based Knoxville News Sentinel, has cast some doubt on the validity of a rash of attempts to provide legal protection of the rights of hunters.
            A bill is currently before the state legislature aiming to establish hunting as a right. The proposed legislation is said to be worded: “The people of the state of Tennessee have a right to hunt, fish and harvest game within the state, subject to the regulations and restrictions as the General Assembly may prescribe by general law." The article refers to similar legislation having been passed in other states.
            Legislation of this sort in general comes about because of resistance to hunting from animal rights lobby groups. With little option other than to assert the right to take game in season, hunting groups are forced to defend their activities. The Hodge article suggests that the right is deeper than the legislation implies. It argues that if it is passed in the present form, then the right hinges on the state granting – or refusing – hunting seasons under the “regulations and restrictions”.