Commercial grey kangaroo harvest to close

Commercial harvesting of western grey kangaroos will shut down during December.

Commercial harvesting of western grey kangaroos will shut down during December.

The Department of Conservation and Land Management said commercial harvesting would be closed between midnight on Tuesday 2 December and midnight on December 31. Commercial harvesting would recommence from 1 January 2004.

The closure is necessary to keep the commercial western grey kangaroo harvest level within the quota of 85,000 animals endorsed by the State Kangaroo Management Advisory Committee and approved by the Commonwealth Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The commercial harvest quota system for grey kangaroos has operated since 1979. It was developed to ensure that the commercial industry would not over-harvest the animals. Harvest quotas for grey kangaroos are set at the equivalent of 10 per cent of the estimated population of the species and are far below the maximum levels that could be safely harvested in any one year.

Management of the species operates under the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) Management Plan for Western Australia 2003-2007, which has been approved by the Commonwealth.

CALM's Acting Director of Nature Conservation, Gordon Wyre, said the State's grey kangaroo management plans had operated very successfully since 1973 and had clearly been effective in balancing the conservation of kangaroos with the legitimate needs of landholders to mitigate damage by the animals as well as the ongoing operation of a sustainable natural resource industry.

Mr Wyre said non-commercial shooting of grey kangaroos would still operate under existing controls so that landholders could take legitimate kangaroo damage mitigation where required.

Red Kangaroo commercial harvests also were not affected and would continue until 31 December 2003.

CALM is contacting all licensed operators to let them know of the arrangements for western greys during December. Further advice is available from Norm Press, CALM's Fauna Administrative Officer on 9334 0434, or the Kangaroo Licensing Clerk, 9334 0332.

Media contact: Nigel Higgs 9389 8644