An update from CEO Richard Light.

Dear Members,

I spoke with the media today in regards to the 2018 Victorian Duck Season and provided them with the following information.

• This year’s duck season has been an overwhelming success. all hunters enjoyed a full season and were able to harvest organic, wild ducks to eat.
• With this year came a slew of new regulations that added to the complexity of complying with an already highly regulated activity.
• Hunters did a fantastic job of complying with the new regulations, respecting the modified opening times and retrieval regulations. The key to the success here was the communication, education and enforcement. It is worth noting that the 9am, 8am and regular starting times were well respected, so it is not so much the opening time, but the communication and education that were the keys to success.
• Hunters overwhelmingly demonstrated that they are capable of sustaining an ethical and humane hunt for future generations to come.
• We look forward to the Minister building on this successful season and call on her to declare a full season for next year as soon as possible. We will be seeking support from all political parties to support ethical and sustainable hunting in Victoria, that is a major economic contributor to the state, particularly in regional economies.
• In regards to an article from the ABC today, The highly edited video makes certain unsubstantiated claims. We question the validity of the highly edited video, we understand that were taken from hours of footage, shot over 2 weeks, provided by opponents to hunting that undertake illegal activities in harassing hunters. We call on the regulator to investigate ALL claims of breaches of hunting regulations, especially those by protestors infringing on the legal, highly regulated hunting activities of law abiding citizens.

Regards,

Richard Light