The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has announced a plan to control the barred owl population in an attempt to prevent the extinction of the spotted owl, a threatened species. The plan, which was released in a final environmental impact statement, proposes to kill up to 450,000 barred owls over a period of 30 years. The barred owl, which is native to the eastern United States, was first discovered in the territory of the spotted owl in Washington state in the 1970s and has since spread west. The recent spread of barred owls has had a significant impact on the spotted owl population along the west coast, with the USFWS estimating a decline of about 75% over the past two decades.
The USFWS plans to use crews of professionals to attract barred owls with a “territorial call” and then shoot them with shotguns. Public hunting of the birds will not be allowed. The agency believes that if the competition from barred owls is reduced, the spotted owl population will rebound slowly. In an experimental study funded by the USFWS, spotted owls had a 10% better chance at survival in areas where barred owls were removed.
The proposal to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls has received mixed reactions. Some animal welfare activists and Washington state’s top public lands official have expressed opposition to the plan, while others, such as Oregon’s Department of Forestry, have supported it. The USFWS can make a formal record of decision in a month’s time and will need to seek a permit from itself to begin killing barred owls, as they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The cost of the plan is still uncertain, with estimates ranging from $235 million to an unknown amount, depending on the participation of various agencies and land managers.
