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Abstract: Overabundant species can have major impacts on their habitat and induce trophic cascades within ecosystems. In North America, the overabundant greater snow goose (Anser caerulescens atlanticus) has been successfully controlled through special spring hunting regulations since 1999. Hunting is a source of mortality but also of disturbance, which affects the behavior and nutrient storage dynamics of staging snow geese. In 2020, the lockdown imposed by the COVID19 pandemic reduced hunting activity during their migratory stopover in Québec by at least 31%. This provided a unique opportunity to assess the effects of a sudden reduction in hunting disturbance on geese. We used long-term data on body mass combined with movement data from GPS-tracked birds in 2019 and 2020 to assess the effects of the 2020 lockdown on the spring body condition and behavior of greater snow geese.
Frédéric LeTourneux, Thierry Grandmont, Frédéric Dulude-de Broin, Marie-Claude Martin, Josée Lefebvre, Akiko Kato, Joël Bêty, Gilles Gauthier, Pierre Legagneux,. COVID19-induced reduction in human disturbance enhances fattening of an overabundant goose species, Biological Conservation, Volume 255, 2021, 108968, ISSN 0006-3207, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.108968