Mallard pest numbers to be hot topic in mai mai

Of late the mallard ducks have been hitting the headlines in most papers and rural publications in the south for the wrong reasons, because in plague-like proportions they have been devastating grain and brassica crops.

They are very widespread and the cost of damage they have done would run into hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost grain revenue and potential grazing.

When I researched their history and their adaptability it is easy to see why they can become so prolific.

The mallard duck can be found right across the temperate zone, from North Africa to the Americas. They were introduced to New Zealand by the Acclimatisation Society in 1870, with eggs sourced in England to establish a population as a game bird.

The programme had mixed results so more eggs were imported from the United States in the 1930s.

This was very successful and the offspring had increased so much by the 1970s they were the most common waterfowl in the country, even though some had crossed with the native grey duck.

They are strong flyers and as well as inhabiting all of New Zealand they can be found on the Subantarctic Islands, occasionally cross the Tasman and are known to have flown from Dunedin to Adelaide.

The main reason for their prolificacy is that the hen lays between eight and 13 eggs.

When they hatch, she is very protective of her brood, even though there is a high rate of attrition by stoats, ferrets, hawks and others, reducing their numbers.

There are no credible estimates of their population, but it is several million.

Over the last few years Environment Southland has encouraged farmers to build ponds and wetlands which also creates a perfect habitat for nesting ducks.

Gamebird shooting was once under the jurisdiction of the Acclimatisation Society. Now it run by Fish & Game and the Department of Conservation.

But when most farmers in the South have had crop damage ranging from partial to annihilation, their status changes from game bird to pest.

To reduce numbers, Fish & Game’s response is to raise the bag limit from 10 to 15.

A fine opening morning and ducks that are already gun-shy may not have the desired effect.

It is tough for farmers having to stand and watch their crops being decimated and if they take the law into their own hands and unlawfully shoot out of season, the penalties are severe.

The South’s great sporting ritual, duck-shooting, starts on May 3 and I would suggest one of the topics of conversation in the mai mai will be how to manage the increasing duck population.