Victoria’s 2022 aerial duck survey results

The results of Victoria’s annual aerial survey of game duck populations show an estimated population of 2.4 million game ducks in Victoria.

The results of Victoria’s annual aerial survey of game duck populations show an estimated population of 2.4 million game ducks in Victoria.

Experienced wildlife biologists conducted the survey from 25 November to 13 December 2022, recording the presence and number of game ducks at over 880 randomly selected waterbodies throughout regional Victoria.

Results show a decrease from the estimated 2.9 million game ducks counted in the 2021 survey, and a 58 per cent increase in surface water area in key habitats.

The Abundance estimates for game ducks in Victoria report, released by the Arthur Rylah Institute, shows that heavy rainfall across eastern Australia in 2022 resulted in increased habitat throughout Victoria and the Murray-Darling Basin interstate.

The report notes that some game ducks are attracted to temporary flood waters, which were not surveyed. This may have led to an underestimate of the Victorian game duck population.

Ducks may have also dispersed from Victoria to interstate habitats outside of the scope of the survey.

The aerial survey is part of a monitoring program to estimate the total abundance of game ducks in the state to improve our broader understanding of waterfowl ecology.

Over time, data collected from the survey will be used to inform adaptive harvest management (AHM) to set sustainable duck season arrangements in the future.

AHM is a key action in the Victorian Government’s Sustainable Hunting Action Plan.

The 2022 monitoring program was improved by increasing the number of wetlands surveyed. In total, 821 waterbodies were surveyed by air and another 62 by staff on the ground.

This is the largest and most comprehensive survey of game ducks undertaken in Victoria.

Media contact: Nick Foster M: 0417 293 365