11
okt, 2019
Álftir skotnar á Íslandi

Álftir eru skotnar á Íslandi og það er ólöglegt!

Allir fuglar eru friðaðir skv. lögum nr. 64/1994  með undantekningum, sjá veiðitímabil. Álftir hafa verið alfriðaðar frá árinu 1913.

Ólöglegar veiðar eru engu að síður staðreynd á Íslandi eins og meðfylgjandi mynd af álftum skotnum á Íslandi sýnir.

Rannsóknir á álftum (Cygnus cygnus) hafa verið framkvæmdar með röntgenmyndatöku á lifandi fuglum sem hafa vetrarsetu á Bretlandseyjum. Þær rannsóknir sýna högl í 13,2% – 14,9% allra álfta. Líkurnar á því að álft fái í sig högl, aukast með hækkandi aldri fuglsins.

Í rannsókninni kom einnig fram dánarorsök 361 álfta af 962 hringmerktum sem hafa fundist dauðar síðan 1980.  Af þeim sem höfðu verið skotnar voru 20 skotnar á Íslandi, fimm á Bretlandi, tvær á Írlandi og ein í Frakklandi.

Rannsóknina í heild má lesa hér:

Incidence of embedded shotgun pellets in Bewick’s swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii and whooper swans Cygnus cygnus wintering in the UK

Draga má þá ályktun að umfang ólöglegra veiða hér á landi sé töluvert miðað við þessa rannsókn.

Fuglavernd fordæmir allar ólöglegar veiðar sama um hvaða fuglategund þar á í hlut.

 

Myndir úr rannsókninni:

Fig. 1. Distribution of (a) the NW European Bewick’s swan population and (b) the Icelandic whooper swan population (from Robinson et al., 2004a, Robinson et al., 2004b).
Fig. 1. Distribution of (a) the NW European Bewick’s swan population and (b) the Icelandic whooper swan population (from Robinson et al., 2004a, Robinson et al., 2004b).
Fig. 2. X-ray of a Bewick’s swan with embedded shotgun pellets (arrows) and showing the gizzard (oval).
Fig. 2. X-ray of a Bewick’s swan with embedded shotgun pellets (arrows) and showing the gizzard (oval).
Fig. 3. Percentage of birds with embedded pellets in relation to their age (in years) for Bewick’s swans X-rayed between 1970 and 2008 and for whooper swans X-rayed between 1988 and 2007.
Fig. 3. Percentage of birds with embedded pellets in relation to their age (in years) for Bewick’s swans X-rayed between 1970 and 2008 and for whooper swans X-rayed between 1988 and 2007.
Fig. 4. Pellet count frequency in Bewick’s and whooper swans, recorded as the percentage of swans of each species found to at least one embedded pellet.
Fig. 4. Pellet count frequency in Bewick’s and whooper swans, recorded as the percentage of swans of each species found to at least one embedded pellet.
Fig. 5. Incidence of shotgun pellets for Bewick’s swans X-rayed between 1970 and 2008 and for whooper swans X-rayed between 1988 and 2007.
Fig. 5. Incidence of shotgun pellets for Bewick’s swans X-rayed between 1970 and 2008 and for whooper swans X-rayed between 1988 and 2007.
Fig. 6. Percentage of Bewick’s and whooper swans with an increased pellet count on re-capture (n = number of birds shot/number of birds X-rayed more than once).
Fig. 6. Percentage of Bewick’s and whooper swans with an increased pellet count on re-capture (n = number of birds shot/number of birds X-rayed more than once).
Fig. 7. Mean body condition (calculated as the residuals from regressing mid-winter mass with body size) recorded for swans with and without embedded shotgun pellets for (a) Bewick’s swans and (b) whooper swans. For whooper swans, there was only one bird recorded with pellets for cygnet males, cygnet females and yearling females (n = number of birds recorded with mean body condition).
Fig. 7. Mean body condition (calculated as the residuals from regressing mid-winter mass with body size) recorded for swans with and without embedded shotgun pellets for (a) Bewick’s swans and (b) whooper swans. For whooper swans, there was only one bird recorded with pellets for cygnet males, cygnet females and yearling females (n = number of birds recorded with mean body condition).