Licensing of harvesters and animal dealers
Anybody seeking to harvest kangaroos commercially in New South Wales must be licensed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and must meet specific standards to be granted a licence. Kangaroos must be harvested in compliance with the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes and kangaroo processing facilities must be registered.
Requiring licensing and registration of any commercial activities involving the harm of kangaroos enables us to set conditions so that we can monitor the impacts of these activities on kangaroo populations.
Enforcement
To make sure that the rules governing the commercial harvest of kangaroos are followed, we investigate all potential breaches of law and licence conditions and respond to them using a risk-based compliance approach in accordance with the Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Compliance Policy.
This means that we respond with the greatest urgency and severity to activities that pose the greatest risk of harm to kangaroos and to the aim of maintaining sustainable populations. People or companies found to be in breach of law or the conditions of their licence can be subject to financial penalties, licence suspension or cancellation and prosecution.
Monitoring population impacts from commercial harvest
All kangaroos harvested under commercial harvest licences are required to be fitted with a tag. These tags contain a unique code. These unique codes allow us to identify and trace a number of details about kangaroos shot for commercial harvest, including:
- the identity of the harvester
- the species of kangaroo
- the location the kangaroo was taken from
- where the animal was stored and processed.
All licensed harvesters are required to report regularly on how their tags are used, and processors are required to report on the tag numbers of animals they have received and processed. This allows us to have detailed information on the population impacts from commercial harvest activities on a monthly basis and allows us to take action to limit commercial harvest activities if necessary.
Quotas
The department uses the population estimates developed from the aerial surveys to establish annual harvest quotas. These quotas set a maximum limit on how many of each kangaroo species can be harvested in each of 15 commercial harvest zones for commercial use in a year.
The quotas are 17% of the population of red kangaroos and 15% each of the populations of eastern grey kangaroos, western grey kangaroos and wallaroos.
The quota limits have been set at conservative levels to ensure harvesting activities will not threaten the sustainability and viability of kangaroo populations.
Populations of red kangaroos are more widespread and abundant, with fewer natural competitors than other species so the quota for this species is slightly higher.
Using proportional quotas ensures that even as the population of a given species in each zone increases or decreases due to natural fluctuations, the impact on population sustainability from commercial harvesting does not change.
After more than 45 years of harvesting under commercial harvest management plans, no adverse long-term impacts on kangaroo populations have been identified. This time frame has included several periods of severe drought.
If our monitoring indicates harvest will reach the quota in any zone before the end of the year, we lock that zone so no more commercial harvesting can occur. This ensures that an estimated 83% of red kangaroos and 85% of eastern grey kangaroos, western grey kangaroos and wallaroos are protected from harvesting.
Thresholds
In addition to harvest quotas, we use population thresholds as an additional layer of protection. Thresholds are reference points used to trigger changes to commercial harvesting quotas when population monitoring shows numbers have dropped a certain amount compared to the long-term average.
For this, we use the population density of each species in each zone, that is, how many individuals of each species of kangaroo exist per square kilometre. If our surveys show the population density of a given species in a given zone drops to between 1.5 and 2 standard deviations below the long-term average, the quota is dropped to 10% of the population for the next year.
If the population density drops to 2 standard deviations or more below the long-term average, then we do not allow harvesting of that species in that zone the following year.
This management approach also allows us to close zones to harvesting if our survey numbers indicate a decline in the population.
Reporting and accountability
We report extensively on kangaroo populations and the impacts from commercial harvesting activities. Each year the department publishes an annual report detailing the results of the previous year's aerial survey research programs and a quota report detailing the quotas set for the following year in the 15 commercial harvest zones.
The department also reports monthly on the quantity of tags that have been allocated, and on the number of animals harvested for each of the 4 harvested species in each of the 15 zones.