Full support for croc hunting plan

Posted on 30 July 2012 by

The Shooters and Fishers Party welcomes the Northern Territory Government’s proposal to improve the regulated hunting of crocodiles, and believes revised trophy laws would prove sustainable, managed hunting has enormous benefits.

Enabling paying clients to take home their trophies, including skins and skulls, is an important change that will ensure Australia reaps the rewards of high-end, high-value hunting tourism.

Even on a limited scale, this sustainable business would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet it was specifically removed from crocodile management plans by the Howard Government and is still excluded by the current Labor Government.

The proposed guidelines allow for safari hunting of trophy-class crocodiles as part of the overall management of the reptilian’s expanding population, and in ways that will allow hunting to co-exist with other crocodile-related tourism and businesses.

“Safari operators, land owners and the tourism industry will all see gains if the new safari-hunting regulations are put in place,” SFP MLC Robert Borsak said.

“Safari hunting is a significant industry worldwide and has contributed not just an income to those who work in it but money and manpower to guarantee the conservation of many species, some of which were almost extinct before hunting-based conservation efforts began.”

The Northern Territory will provide 50 annual permits to take crocodiles larger than 3.5 metres, as part of its overall quota of 500 adults. It’s important to note that the existing market still falls well short of achieving that maximum quota.

Certain areas will not be opened to hunting, ensuring ‘iconic’ crocodiles are preserved where they are desirable, such as in popular tourist rivers.

Hunters and guides will be held to very high standards, from correct licensing to marksmanship tests as well as strict conditions under which shooting may occur.

“This proposal would stand up to scrutiny in any country where the safari hunting industry is strong and game animals are sustainably managed,” Mr Borsak said.

Submissions on the NT Government’s proposed 2012-2014 Management Program for the Saltwater Crocodile, which includes the hunting plan, close tomorrow, July 31. Full details are available at the NT Dept of Environment website.