What is Wildfowling?
Wildfowling is the pursuit of quarry species (duck, geese and waders) with the use of a smooth bore shotgun either on foot or under certain conditions by punt over foreshore.
The foreshore, coastal marshes and estuaries have for centuries been an important place for wildfowling. Today there are no longer any professional wildfowlers except for a few guides. Wildfowling is largely a solitary activity and bag sizes per visit rarely number more than two or three birds. Wildfowling clubs manage much of the foreshore for shooting and conservation in the UK, permit schemes for wildfowling operating on some of the UK’s most important nature reserves. It is a managed activity that produces significant social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits to local areas.
The wildfowling season on foreshore runs from 1 September to 20 February in England, Wales and Scotland, and from 1 September to 31 January in Northern Ireland. During these months most wildfowling takes place around dawn and dusk.
The Crown Estate’s Role
As owner of much of the foreshore in the UK, we recognise our responsibility to ensure that wildfowling is carried out in a sustainable manner and is compliant with the requirements of the EU Habitats and Birds Directives and various national conservation related legislation. The directive fully recognises the legitimacy of hunting of wild birds as a form of sustainable use.
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland we regulate wildfowling through the granting of leases of sporting rights. In Scotland, wildfowling is a public right.
Through the regulation of this activity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland we aim to minimise illegal and indiscriminate shooting on Crown Estate owned foreshore. In 1995 The Crown Estate established the Joint Group for Wildfowling and Conservation on Tidal Land (JTG) to aid the effective and efficient management of this activity on its foreshore. The JTG takes its membership from:
- representatives of The Crown Estate marine estate
- the statutory nature conservation advisors:
- Natural England,
- Countryside Council for Wales,
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
- British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)
The membership of the JTG aims to ensure that all views on shooting are taken into consideration. The JTG aims to consider all lease applications in a fair and impartial manner taking into account both the applicant’s views, the historical use of the site, the conservation needs of the area and other aspects. The group meets twice a year to discuss issues relating to new lease applications and renewals of existing leases.
The JTG has set up a standard procedure for dealing with lease applications and renewals of existing leases.
Numbers of Leases for Sporting Rights
- 70 leases for sporting rights are currently in operation on Crown Estate owned foreshore
- Of these there are seven which have been issued to conservation organisations
- There are 59 leases currently granted to wildfowling clubs covering over 700km of foreshore. Many of these leases include refuge areas designated by the clubs
Leases for Sporting Rights
The Crown Estate has drawn up a standard lease for sporting rights. Nearly all organisations taking sporting rights since 1995 hold a standard lease. This standard approach creates a level playing field between organisations and ensures consistency in the management of this activity.
As a requirement of the lease all tenants produce a management plan setting out details of the organisation taking the lease, the proposals for the site and other key information (links below for guidance on producing management plans). The JTG will assess an organisation’s application for a lease or a renewal of a lease on the basis of this management plan. For a renewal of the lease the management plan will be reviewed when the lease expires. For new leases agreed prior to the standard procedure being established, or where a previous consultation has not been undertaken, a full consultation process is required (the standard procedure sets out a consultation list). For renewals of leases agreed post-1995 and where a full consultation has been undertaken the reviewed management plan is sent to the members of the JTG for consideration.
The lease requires all clubs to submit wildfowling returns, usually by 1 April every year (link below for the latest data). This data is analysed by BASC and distributed to the members of the JTG. In the near future all tenants (wildfowling clubs already do so) will submit annual returns of conservation activities additional to the management of shooting on their lease areas. In combination, this feedback provides information on each tenant’s overall stewardship of the site.
Leases for sporting rights are currently issued for a standard term of three or seven years (at the JTG’s discretion) and the rent is calculated using a standardised formula.
Stewardship of Lease Areas
Organisations holding leases of sporting rights provide a number of essential, positive management activities on their sites, including:
- Wardening, which minimises illegal shooting
- Conservation activities including the removal of refuse, participation in waterfowl and other surveys and the control of predators of ground nesting birds
- Wildfowling clubs have club rules (listed in the management plans) which include shooting-related codes of practice and details of club enforced restrictions which all members must abide by
- Refuge areas where shooting is not permitted.
Guidance & Statistics
-
 Guidance Notes PDF (230 KB)
For BASC affiliated clubs on producing a management plan for
sporting rights leases
- Guidance Notes PDF (175 KB)
On producing a management plan for non-shooting sporting
rights leases
Follow the link below for statistics on wildfowling returns:
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