Against a background of the most severe and prolonged drought in Victoria's history, the Victorian Government has decided to declare an open season on ducks this year.  Ignoring the sage advice of the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change has signed the death warrant for thousands of our native waterfowl for the macabre pleasure of a declining number of hunters.  There can be no reasonable justification for this.

Surveys have shown that numbers of waterfowl are still at critically low levels.  Previous open seasons during drought conditions have shown that large numbers of waterfowl often congregate at the few wetlands which still hold some water, where they literally become 'sitting ducks' in the hail of shot that characterises the opening morning.  A large proportion of the state's ducks may be killed.  Any wetlands still supporting ducks at this vital time should be treated as refuges for ducks, not as shooting ranges.  We can only hope that Victoria's hunters show a greater level of responsibility than the Minister has.

Please write to the Premier asking him to stop this unsustainable practice.