Story: Game birds

Shag hunting

Shag hunting

A hunter aims at shags (cormorants) in a roost tree at Shag Cove in Pelorus Sound in 1906. Some native bird species were hunted at the time. Black shags were unprotected for many decades, and in some places acclimatisation societies placed a bounty on their heads as they were considered predators of trout. By 2015 black shags, little shags and pied shags were still only partially protected, mainly to safeguard salmon farms, fish hatcheries and aquaculture facilities from them, and could be killed under authorisation by the minister of conservation if they caused injury or damage to property.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-010367; G
Photograph by Frederick James Halse

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Neil Deans, 'Game birds - Management', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/16722/shag-hunting (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Neil Deans, published 24 Nov 2008, reviewed & revised 29 Apr 2015