Barred owls on the chopping block
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A barred owl seen at a park in Kirkland in Washington state. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
To protect threatened northern spotted owls, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared a controversial plan to kill almost a half-million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest.
Why it matters: The management strategy was developed to address the threat posed by the invasive barred owl to native northern owls and California spotted owls, according to the federal agency's final environmental impact statement, released on Wednesday.
Driving the news: A maximum of about 450,000 barred owls and barred owl hybrids in Washington, Oregon and California would be shot over three decades if the plan is fully implemented, the Associated Press reported.
- More than 15 years of study and review went into making the policy, Bridget Moran, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office deputy state supervisor, told the Seattle Times.
Catch up quick: Barred owls are larger and more aggressive than northern spotted owls and have displaced the smaller species as they've moved west, according to the impact statement.
- Competition from barred owls, which have larger broods, has been identified as a primary threat to the northern spotted owl — along with habitat loss — and a significant and increasing threat to the California spotted owl.
By the numbers: An analysis from state and federal agencies found spotted owl populations declined by 2%–9% annually in areas with barred owl presence.
What they're saying: "Lethal removal of barred owls is the only population reduction method that has been proven to work in reducing barred owl populations, thereby improving spotted owl population response," the agency said in the final report.
How it works: Lethal removal would be accomplished by using recorded territorial calls to lure barred owls, then shooting the ones that approach, per the impact statement.
- Fish & Wildlife says the plan is designed to ensure a quick kill and minimize the potential for non-fatal injuries to barred owls and injury or death of non-target species.
- Where use of firearms is inadvisable, the plan includes an option to capture and euthanize barred owls.
The other side: In April, in response to an earlier draft of the plan, a coalition of 75 advocacy groups spearheaded by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy wrote to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland saying that the owl culling plan should be stopped, KOIN reported.
- "The plan to kill barred owls is a colossally reckless action, almost unprecedented in the history of American wildlife management," they wrote, arguing that killing the barred owls would harm and distress other wildlife.
What we're watching: Fish & Wildlife will make a final decision about how to proceed after at least 30 days.
- Implementation requires the federal agency to first obtain a permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, per the Seattle Times.
- According to AP, removals could begin as soon as next spring.
