Biology 335

Wildlife and Fisheries Biology

Objectives

• Introduction to wildlife and fisheries biology. • Topics

– history of wildlife and fisheries conservation and management

– Wildlife and fisheries ecology– Conservation and management in practice– habitat management techniques– animal management techniques– scientific tools

Today’s Outline

• Defining wildlife and fisheries biology

• History of wildlife and fisheries biology

• What is wildlife? – Bias towards charismatic megafauna– Give three examples of wildlife

• Game vs. non-game– In PA > 60 mammals; how many are hunted?– > 300 birds

Fisheries

• What is fisheries?– Give three examples of fisheries– Game vs. non-game

• Refers to a target species, not confined to just fish in general

Fisheries?

Habitat Biota

Human User

What is wildlife and fisheries biology?

Black-footed ferret

Grassland

Farmer or rancher

Mountain meadows

Elk

Hunters

What is wildlife and fisheries biology?

• Journal of Wildlife Management – in premier issue (1937) – Wildlife management is “the practical ecology

of all vertebrates and their plant and animal associates”

– Wildlife management “along sound biological lines is part of the greater movement for conservation of our entire native flora and fauna”

Conservation vs. Management

• Management – to manipulate with a goal in mind

• Conservation – to sustain healthy or restore unhealthy populations– Conservation is NOT Preservation

• Preservation – leaving natural systems as they are– Gifford Pinchot – a forester for T. Roosevelt

• Lines have been blurred

What is wildlife management?

• Game or stock management• Endangered species management • Non-game management• Animal control• Basic biology – Natural history• Habitat management - Restoration

ecology • People management

• “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering”

Aldo Leopold

Who needs a wildlife or fisheries biologist?

• Municipal, state, federal, tribal agencies need biologists to manage and conserve

• Private sector

• Law enforcement

• Politicians

History of Wildlife & Fisheries Biology

• Kublai Khan (1259-1294 AD) decreed no taking of any animals from March to October

History of Wildlife Management

• At the same time in Europe, wildlife was exploited for food with less regard for management

• Wildlife viewed as competitors

History of Wildlife Management

•By 1700s only wildlife left was on property of nobles

•Wildlife and fish were owned by the king

•With his permission, nobles were granted the right to hunt

Supreme Court declared that all property of the king belonged to the people

• 60 million reduced to 150

50 BILLION reduced to 0

Extirpated from PA

• Mammals:– Fisher, Marten, Mountain Lion, Gray Wolf, Lynx, Wolverine,

Bison, Elk

• Birds:– Passenger Pigeon, Greater Prairie Chicken,

Piping Plover, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Bewick’s Wren, Bachman’s Sparrow

A market for hunting

• American robins, plovers, curlews, sandpipers were sold in restaurants

• Swans, herons and egrets hunted for plumes

Frank Chapman's 1886 Feathered Hat CensusBIRD SPECIES # HATS SEEN BIRD SPECIES # HATS SEEN

Grebes 7 Blue Jay 5

Green-backed Heron 1 Eastern Bluebird 3

Virginia Rail 1 American Robin 4

Greater Yellowlegs 1 Northern Shrike 1

Sanderling 5 Brown Thrasher 1

Laughing Gull 1 Bohemian Waxwing 1

Common Tern 21 Cedar Waxwing 23

Black Tern 1 Blackburnian Warbler 1

Ruffed Grouse 2 Blackpoll Warbler 3

Greater Prairie Chicken 1 Wilson's Warbler 3

Northern Bobwhite 16 Tree Sparrow 2

California Quail 2 White-throated Sparrow 1

Mourning Dove 1 Snow Bunting 15

Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 Bobolink 1

Northern Flicker 21 Meadowlarks 2

Red-headed Woodpecker 2 Common Grackle 5

Pileated Woodpecker 1 Northern Oriole 9

Eastern Kingbird 1 Scarlet Tanager 3

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1 Pine Grosbeak 1

Tree Swallow 1

No holds barred…

• Waterfowl were shot with cannons loaded with shot (Read Chesapeake by James Michener)

• Bison shot from moving trains

• No seasons, no limits, no geographical restrictions

• The abundance of wildlife seemed limitless

• Market hunting – the trade or selling of wildlife for commerce

• Subsistence hunting – the taking of wildlife for food

• Trophy hunting – the taking of “premium” specimens

• By early 1900’s hunting opportunities were scarce and people began to realize that some sort of conservation and management of wildlife and fisheries were needed.

Teddy Roosevelt – 26th president (1901-1909)

•developed National Wildlife Refuge system•reserved 230 million acres for public use

Aldo Leopold

•Founder of US wildlife management

•1933- Game Management

•1949- A Sand County Almanac

… and today?