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Swans

Answer

No estimate has been made of the impact of illegal shooting on UK wintering populations of whooper or Bewick's swan.The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has a programme of marking of whooper and Bewick's swans, which includes monitoring the extent to which these species carry embedded shotgun pellets in their body tissue and this provides an indication of the extent to which birds are being illegally shot. While there is no evidence to suggest the level of illegal shooting in the UK has a significant impact on populations, it is recognised that such shooting across the full migration range of these species may be significant.The proportion of Bewick's swans carrying embedded shot has declined in recent decades from 38.8% In the 1980s to 22.7% in the 2000s. The proportion of whooper swans carrying embedded shot has not declined significantly over time, being 14.9% in the 1980s and 13.2% in the 2000s.For species of high conservation status that are protected throughout their world ranges, this evidence of continued illegal hunting is a significant concern especially given the Bewick's swan population is declining globally and is now significantly below former levels of abundance. Accordingly, the UK is working with other Contracting Parties to the African-Eurasian Waterbirds Agreement (AEWA) as well as with other interested stakeholders, to raise the profile of the issue and work towards the elimination of this illegal activity. In particular, we are working towards the restoration of the Bewick's swan population to its former level through participation in the development of an AEWA action plan for the species.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

43044; 524 c519W

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Nature conservation Swans

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk