272 



F. SALOMONSEN 



men is very large, amounting to about 

 135,000 (a larger number per capita than in 

 any other country). 



The Danish game statistics are excellent- 

 well known to be much more accurate than in 

 most other countries (see Salomonsen 1954; 

 Strandgaard 1964). According to Danish bag 

 records, almost one million ducks, geese, and 

 coots (Joensen 1974:31) and about 100,000- 

 200,000 gulls (Salomonsen 1954:125) are shot 

 each year. The average annual bag of each 

 species of wildfowl is given in Table 2 and the 

 open season for each species of seabirds in 

 Table 3. The open season for dabbling ducks 

 is long, extending from 16 August to 31 De- 

 cember, which means that local birds are per- 

 secuted almost as soon as birds-of-the-year 

 are able to fly. This has resulted in a dabbling 

 duck breeding population that is much 

 smaller than what the available food supply 

 could support, and in the large-scale develop- 

 ment of artificial rearing of mallards for later 

 shooting. A 5-month hunting season on 

 specialized birds like loons, grebes, and 

 various auks is not good management prac- 

 tice and should be carefully reviewed. 



Four other important facts about the shoot- 

 ing of seabirds in Denmark merit inclusion 

 here: (1) there is no bag-limit for any species; 

 (2) in general, all marine areas within terri- 

 torial limits are open to all Danish sportsmen, 

 and the admission is free; (3) motorboats with 

 a maximum speed of 10 knots are allowed for 

 shooting in the period 1 October-30 April; and 

 (4) the shooting of seabirds is permissible 

 from 1.5 h before sunrise to 1.5 h (in Decem- 

 ber 1 h) after sunset, whereas for most other 

 birds shooting is prohibited between sunset 

 and sunrise. 



Shooting is a national tradition in Den- 

 mark, and the large number of sportsmen has 

 considerable political power. Too much influ- 

 ence is given to the representatives of the 

 hunters' organizations, which have the deci- 

 sive force in game committees dealing with 

 protective measures. It is difficult, therefore, 

 to change the existing system. 



Shooting of seabirds, especially various 

 waterfowl, is popular and intensive. The num- 

 ber of ducks taken by Danish sportsmen is 

 probably in the order of 10-15% of the total 

 kill on the West European Flyway (Joensen 



Table 3. Open hunting seasons for seabirds 

 in Denmark, according to the Game Act 

 of 1967. Species not given in the table are 

 fully protected. 



Hunting period and species 



1 August-31 December 

 Anser anser 

 A. fabalis 

 A. brachyrhynchus 



A. albifrons 

 Branta bernicla* 



B. canadensis 



1 August-30 April 



Phalacrocorax carbo 

 16 August-31 December 



Anas platyrhynchos 



A. crecca 



A. querquedula 



A. acuta 



A. penelope 



A. clypeata 

 16 August-29 February 



Ay thy a ferina 



Fulica atra 



Larus ridibundus 



L. canus 

 16 August-30 April 



L. fuscus 



L. argentatus 



L. marinus 

 1 October- 29 February 



Ay thy a fuligula 



A. mania 



Clangula hyemalis 



Melanitta nigra 



M. fusca 



Somateria mollissima 



Bucephala clangula 



Mergus serrator 



M. merganser 



Gavia stellata 



G. arctica 



G. immer 



Podiceps cristatus 



Uria aalge 



U. lomuia 



A lea torda 



a Branta bernicla is fully protected since 1972. 



1974:171). Excessive duck shooting can, in 

 some cases, be controlled by banding in the 

 breeding areas; the ensuing results then give 

 rise to strong protests from the Scandinavian 

 countries against the extensive persecution. 



