Quarterly Update

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JUNE 2020

We are delighted to welcome the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance!

Mourning Doves fare very well in human-altered habitats. Numbers are thought to have increased greatly with increasing settlement of North America.

Harvest Profile – Pigeons and harvested in one province: British Conservation Status Doves Columbia. Of the seven harvested of Harvest in the United States and Between 2014 and 2016, a total of pigeons and doves reported in the Canada 35,098,446 pigeons and doves were WHI database, four are native to harvested in the US and Canada. This North America: the , ® The Wild Harvest Initiative includes 18,081,177 in 2014/15 and Band-tailed Pigeon, White-winged Database reports seven distinct 17,017,269 in 2015/16. This Dove and White-tipped Dove; while species of pigeons and doves that are represents a live weight of 9,751,479 three were introduced: the Eurasian harvested in the US and Canada: pounds harvested from 2014 to 2016, Collared-dove, the Barred Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon ( or a dressed weight of 6,509,671 the . fasciata), Barred Dove (Geopelia pounds. maugei), Eurasian Collared-dove Of these , the Mourning Dove is ( decaocto), Mourning Dove In terms of what this means for food, probably the most recognized and is (Zenaida macroura), Spotted Dove this harvest represents 4,960,663 one of the most abundant and wide- ( chinensis), White-winged pounds of consumable pigeon and ranging species in North America.

Dove (Zenaida asiatica) and White- dove meat harvested in this two-year This is largely owing to its ability to tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi). period, or an average of 2,480,331 effectively adapt and thrive in human- pounds per year. Overall, this altered environments. Indeed, it is Pigeons and doves are widely translates to a total of 13,228,433 estimated that their numbers have in harvested in the US, with 41 states meals (based on a 6-oz serving) or fact increased as human settlements reporting harvest figures. Conversely, 6,614,217 meals annually. on the continent have grown. in Canada, these species are only

Species Profile: Mourning Dove • Scientific name: Zenaida macroura • The Mourning Dove is one of the most plentiful bird species in North America. The US population is estimated at 350 million. • Mourning Doves are found in a variety of ecosystems across the US. They are often spotted on the bare ground, in fields or on overhead branches and telephone wires. • The birds get their name from the tell-tale ‘mourning’ call they make by puffing up their throat.

Mourning Doves are also prolific a population numbering in the billions. be overexploited, ultimately led to breeders, hatching up to six nests a It would travel in large flocks, the extinction of this bird. While the year, enabling them to achieve resembling clouds of thunderous wing loss of the substantial population growth year- beats, which would blot out the sky as represents a true tragedy, its demise on-year. It is estimated that the they flew overhead. As a blossoming has been recognized as a spark that population of Mourning Doves in the commercial industry for passenger ignited contemporary conservation US alone totals 350 million. pigeons emerged, however, this efforts in North America, spurring the species began a downward spiral first wildlife-protection law in the US, Remembering the Passenger Pigeon towards extinction and by the late which prohibited interstate shipping When considering the conservation 1890s their populations were of unlawfully harvested game. estimated to have plummeted to just a status of North American pigeons and The history of the passenger pigeon doves, it is important that we recall few thousand. The last known should be a strong reminder of the the now extinct passenger pigeon passenger pigeon died in 1914. importance of well-regulated hunting (Ectopistes migratorius). This species It has been widely acknowledged that was once thought to be the most and a sustainable conservation model over-hunting, driven by the belief that that is built on science-based policy abundant bird species in North such an abundant species could never America and possibly the world, with decisions and a respect for all wildlife.

Pigeon and Dove Harvests in the United States and Canada

(2014/15-2015/16)

Live Weight of Consumable Weight of Number of Meals Harvest Harvest (based on 6-oz serving)

9,751,479 lbs 4,960,663 lbs 13,228,433

. Figure 1: Pigeon and Dove Harvests in the US and Canada by Weight and Number of Meals (2014-16)

Pigeon and Dove Species Harvested in the US and Canada (2014-16) 30,000,000

25,000,000

20,000,000

15,000,000

10,000,000

5,000,000

-

Figure 2: Number of Pigeons and Doves Harvested by Species in the US and Canada (2014-2016)

Progress reporting gather and compile harvest records each harvested species. This will from the last three years (2016–19) facilitate the extraction and analysis of

Wild Harvest Initiative® have begun. data related to replacement costs of wild harvested meat. Database Economic Valuation Hunting and Angling Harvest Data Economic valuations of wild Wild Meat Sharing and Analyses harvested protein are now being Consumption Index compiled into an economic Quality Assurance Testing for Species’ A report on the findings from the equivalence framework. Weights Texas Wild Meat Sharing and Once the wild meat economic Consumption Index Survey is now Weight data for all freshwater and valuations are completed, a full being finalized with the Texas Parks marine fish species reported by the replacement cost analysis will be and Wildlife Department. This report WHI database are being finalized. undertaken. will be formally released to WHI References are being cross-checked partners and to the general public and compiled in a methodology paper Database Updates next quarter. for future use. Once the economic equivalence Discussions are now underway with Updating harvest records framework is completed, the WHI Alaska, Arizona and Nevada to database will be expanded to undertake similar sharing surveys in Outreach efforts to state, provincial, those states. and territorial wildlife agencies to incorporate this additional metric for

Wild Harvest Initiative® These posts were made available to partners for comment. This factsheet, Partnership Alliance partners to share through their once finalized, is expected to be the respective social media channels. first in a larger series; each sheet will Welcoming New Partners represent a different species or Links to WHI Website species group and will capture We are delighted to welcome the A WHI "code block" was shared with relevant population, harvest and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biological data. to the Wild Harvest Initiative® partners to be integrated within Partnership Alliance! websites, electronic newsletters, and Podcasts other relevant communications ® Communications materials. This code block will The Wild Harvest Initiative featured present as a link/button to readers, on two podcasts this past quarter – Covid-19 and social media posts which will encourage traffic to visit The Hunting Collective and Coast to and engage with the Wild Harvest Coast: The WHI team developed social Initiative website: media posts and memes using popular The Hunting Collective: hashtags related to the current Covid- https://thewildharvestinitiative.com 19 pandemic in order to advance key https://bit.ly/2ZKbgHj Factsheet messaging related to the importance Coast to Coast: of wild harvest during the present A factsheet on white-tailed deer has global crisis. Examples of these posts been drafted and shared with WHI https://bit.ly/36DgMga can be found below.

The Wild Harvest Initiative® partnership Alliance

Not pictured are Sean Olmstead and Richard A. “Dick” Corbett