WESTERN BUREAU:
Scientific concerns over the impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica’s game birds almost resulted in no shooting in western Jamaica this year, with some experts going even further and recommending that the entire 2026 season be cancelled.
Instead, the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) has opted for a shortened five-week season with unprecedented restrictions in the hurricane-ravaged west, where approximately 40 per cent of the country’s hunting activity takes place.
The proposed season will run from August 22 to September 20, but the dates had not yet been gazetted when the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) staged its Hunters’ Forum on Thursday.
NRCA Chairman Christopher Whyms-Stone disclosed that, after Hurricane Melissa, technical experts went into the field to assess the damage and returned with serious concerns.
“I think they were of the strong opinion that there should be no shooting at all in the West. Some said none at all in entirety,” Whyms-Stone told the forum.
He said the NRCA board subsequently asked the experts to consider what a season could look like if hunting were permitted.
“What you have is what they came back with as their alternate to no season,” he said, explaining that the board ultimately voted for a shortened season with restrictions.
Among the most significant measures is a complete prohibition on shooting the white-crowned pigeon, commonly called the bald pate, in Trelawny, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth.
Ricardo Miller, NEPA’s coordinator for the Fauna Ecosystems Management Branch, said the five western parishes bore the brunt of Melissa and account for roughly 40 per cent of hunting activity.
RESTRICTIONS
Hunters there will be permitted to shoot only the other three designated game birds and, outside the newly established no-hunting areas, hunting will be restricted to baited fields registered with NEPA.
Across Jamaica, the usual six-weekend season has been reduced to five, while the bag limit will fall from 20 to 15 birds per shooting session. In parishes where bald pates may still be hunted, no more than eight may form part of the 15-bird bag, down from the previous maximum of 15.
Miller painted a sobering picture of what happened to Jamaica’s bird population during and after the Category 5 hurricane.
He said research internationally has consistently shown high bird mortality during major storms.
While some birds move away ahead of a hurricane, others remain and attempt to survive it.
“A lot of birds died,” Miller said, adding that Melissa also caused significant displacement.
Those that survived then faced habitat loss, severe food shortages, increased exposure to predators and altered microclimates.
Miller said the impact produced unusual behaviour, including bald pates, which normally feed in trees, coming to the ground and entering yards and seeded fields in search of food.
Although forests in western Jamaica began greening relatively quickly after Melissa, Miller cautioned against interpreting the return of foliage as ecological recovery.
Trees may be green again, he explained, but that does not necessarily mean they are fruiting or providing the food and other resources required to sustain wildlife.
NEPA has also recorded evidence suggesting that some birds fled the devastated west for other sections of Jamaica.
Miller said species normally associated with the Cockpit Country have been detected in St Catherine and Portland in areas where they had not been recorded during approximately 20 years of monitoring.
While the evidence of migration remains anecdotal, he said it was highly likely that game birds, including bald pates and white-winged doves, also moved from western Jamaica into central and eastern parishes. Surveys showed populations remaining relatively stable in those sections of the country.
NO SHOOTING ZONES
Within the five western parishes, NEPA has also established four areas where no bird shooting whatsoever will be allowed.
They cover southern St James, eastern Westmoreland, northwest St Elizabeth and sections of southwest St Elizabeth.
Miller said that, in St Elizabeth, the Black River forms part of the boundary, with areas west of the river continuing towards Lacovia and into the interior of St James falling within the no-hunting zone. Detailed maps are to be made available by NEPA.
Whyms-Stone said the bald pate was of particular concern because extensive tree damage in western Jamaica placed the tree-feeding species under pressure.
He nevertheless defended the decision to allow a season, arguing that conservation does not necessarily mean prohibiting all activity, but ensuring that what occurs is responsible and sustainable.
He revealed that some longstanding hunters had themselves approached him, indicating that they were prepared to forego the season because of Melissa’s impact.
“I found that very comforting,” the NRCA chairman said, describing their willingness as evidence of maturity and responsibility.
Whyms-Stone said the economic impact of hunting on rural communities was also considered, particularly as many continue to recover from the hurricane.
However, he stressed that revenue generated for NEPA and the NRCA was not a principal consideration in deciding to proceed with the season.
The chairman urged hunters to respect the restrictions, saying increased monitoring would be required during what will be anything but a normal bird-shooting season.
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com
