Putting a stop to poaching in California

California is experiencing an alarming increase in poaching that presents a serious threat to the state’s birds and wildlife.

'The year of extreme poaching’
According to the State Department of Fish & Game, poaching violations rose from 6,538 in 2003 to 17,840 in 2007, with sensitive species of geese and ducks taking the hardest hit.

Cases of “extreme” poaching are also on the rise. In January of 2009, two Yuba City teens were charged with the wanton shooting of 29 snow geese and Ross's geese. Two Colusa County men were found with evidence of dozens of deer kills, as well as 47 tracking collars and 100 leg bands used to monitor sensitive waterfowl populations. In perhaps the most egregious case of the year, wardens caught a Gilroy man with the carcasses of 253 ducks and 58 geese, way over the limit of 14 ducks and eight geese. The man's collection of dead birds included almost every waterfowl species that migrates through our state, including protected species such as the sandhill crane and the tundra swan. These cases led officials to call 2008 “The Year of Extreme Poaching.”

Waterfowl – ducks, geese and swans – are an important part of California's wildlife. Regions such as the Sacramento Valley, the Klamath basin, San Francisco Bay and the Salton Sea are major stops along the Pacific Flyway, a migration superhighway that supports millions of birds throughout the Americas.

Moreover, poaching erodes important waterfowl conservation funded not only through tax dollars, but also by private donations, many of them from hunters. Responsible hunters are among the biggest contributors to the conservation of California waterfowl.

Game wardens overburdened
Our force of courageous and dedicated wardens cannot be held responsible for this poaching epidemic. In 2008, California had fewer than 200 active-duty fish and game wardens patrolling the state’s 100 million acres. This is the lowest number of any state in the nation at one per 185,000 residents, and these men and women work tirelessly to protect our natural resources.

Harsher penalties needed
Disappointingly, our weak poaching laws do not match the efforts of our dedicated wardens. What shocked people the most about the Gilroy case wasn't the list of dead birds. It was the incredibly light sentence the poacher received for conducting a deliberate assault on waterfowl. Despite its terrible toll on native wildlife, poaching currently carries surprisingly light sentences. Regardless of the scale of the carnage, it is almost never treated as a felony under state law, and only rarely under federal law.

Poachers know that if they get caught, they'll suffer little more than a slap on the wrist.

We need tougher penalties for poaching
Assembly Bill 708, recently introduced by Assembly Member Jared Huffman, seeks to increase penalties for poaching, particularly extreme poaching. Both conservationists and hunters should be eager to see this kind of common sense legislation get to the governor's desk.