Goose Management

Goose Management in the City of Parksville

In June 2015, Parksville Council adopted in principle, the 38 recommendations contained in the Goose Management Strategy for the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region as prepared by the Guardians of Mid-Island Estuaries Society (Guardians). A key recommendation of the goose management strategy is to humanely reduce non-migratory resident Canada Goose populations in the City of Parksville to a level which prevents conflict between geese and human activities and reduces the ecological damage to local estuaries.

Frequently Asked Questions About Goose Management
2023 Mid Island Canada Goose Winter Moult Count

• Firearms Regulation Bylaw No. 1458
• Dawe and Stewart. 2010. “The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) on Vancouver Island, BC”
• Dawe, Boyd, Beuchert, and Stewart. 2011. “Recent, significant changes to the native marsh vegetation of the Little Qualicum River estuary, British Columbia; a case of too many Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)?”

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

The following resolution put forward by the City of Parksville, was endorsed at the 2017 Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities meeting and endorsed at the 2017 UBCM Annual Convention:

ENVIRONMENT - R23) Canada Goose Population Management (AVICC) April 2017

ENVIRONMENT - B30) Canada Goose Population Management (UBCM) September 2017

• WHEREAS in the 1950s wildlife managers began relocating Canada Geese to the east coast of Vancouver Island, leading to the over abundant goose population which has devastated agricultural lands, estuaries, wildlife and critical fish habitat across Vancouver Island, bringing some of these vital ecosystems to the brink of extinction;
• AND WHEREAS the City of Parksville, Regional District of Nanaimo and Guardians of the Mid Island Estuaries Society have employed sound science and a series of management actions designed to reduce resident geese numbers to levels consistent with estuary recovery since 2010;
• NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities fully supports a regional coordinated approach to resident Canada goose management, including population controls needed to protect natural assets and promote sustained recovery of vital estuary habitats.

Please direct questions to:

Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
250 954-3073
communications@parksville.ca