BOUNTY ON HAWKS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 116, 2 June 1937, Page 4

BOUNTY ON HAWKS

Campaign Against Shags, to Begin DEPREDATIONS IN H.B. A discussion on the depredations o£ shags and hawks- occupied the time of the Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society at the monthly meeting in Napier last evening, when it was deeided to organise a campaign against shags and to place a bounty of sixpeuee on hawks. It is hoped by this means considerably to reduce the losses in fisli and bird, life occasioned by these two speeies of killing bird. From time to 'time in tbe past few months the society has discussed the growing number s of shags in the district, and reports from the rangers and from .sportsmen indieate that the shags are accounting for a large number of trout, particularly in the stage of fry and fingerlings. It is hoped to be able to enlist the services of sportsmen in the district to keep down the numbers of shags. A start is shortly to b® 1 made with the campaign. In placing the bounty of sixpenee on hawks for a limited period only, the society has taken the precaution of stipulating that both beaks and feet must be produced before the bounty is recoverable. Some years ago, when both the Hawke's Bay Acclimaitsation Society and the Wellington Acclimatisation Society had each a bounty of pno and sixpenee on hawks, they were pay* ing for feet and beak respectively. It was strongly suspected that many hunters took advantage of this fact to make arrangements by which a bounty for one hawk could be claimed once in Hawke's Bay and once in Wellington. During this period the Hawke's Bay Society paid £700 in bounties on hawks. draining the funds se'verely. Precautions to prevent a repetition of this have been taken.