Wildfowling in northern Iran

Abstract

Wildfowl are very abundant in winter in the marshes of northern Iran where there is an important wildfowling industry: over 1,200,000 ducks may be killed in an average season. Ducks are taken in a variety of ways, described here in detail, from personal investigations in 1957 and 1959. The principal method of capture is by means of a net, gong, and flare at night. Mist-nets and clap nets sited at pools to which wild ducks are attracted by trained decoy-ducks are also widely used. Long flight nets, and the calabash method, are of minor importance. Shooting, though increasing, accounts for only about 9% of the kill (110,000 ducks). The author suggests that the future welfare of the ducks will probably best be achieved by adherence to the traditional methods of capture, which require the maintenance of large tracts of carefully-preserved flooded land. It is important that recent increases in the disturbance of the wild geese should be halted.