California approves controversial sharpshooter plan to eradicate invasive deer on Catalina Island
California officials have approved a highly contested environmental restoration plan to eradicate Catalina Island’s invasive mule deer population using sharpshooters, a conservation nonprofit announced Friday.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the Catalina Island Conservancy's restoration management permit on Jan. 26.
The lethal operation will reportedly be conducted by ground teams, after initial plans to use helicopter-mounted sharpshooters drew intense public backlash from opponents who described the proposal as a "violent and ugly" slaughter with "bullets raining down."
"Since October 2023, residents shared concerns about aerial shooting of deer," the nonprofit said. "That method was removed from the plan, and the Conservancy shifted to ground-based specialists using rifles in controlled operations under strict safety protocols. Under the permit, only trained, ground-based professionals may conduct lethal deer removal, which will occur over several years."
Under the sweeping, multi-decade initiative, dubbed "Operation Protect Catalina Island," deer would then be harvested and used as meat for the California Condor Recovery Program, helping provide a natural food source for the endangered birds, the nonprofit said.
It remains unclear exactly how many deer will be removed, as populations fluctuate between 500 and 1,800, according to the Conservancy.
The invasive deer, introduced in the early 1930s, "have no natural predators, so their population goes through extreme boom and bust cycles," the Conservancy said.
Over the years, they have reportedly decimated native vegetation, contributing to soil erosion, water loss, increased wildfire risks and reduced resources for native species.
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"The evidence of the severity of the threat the deer pose is overwhelming, and all other alternatives have been exhausted," Scott Morrison, director of conservation and science for The Nature Conservancy in California, said in a statement. "Catalina Island can have either a functional, biodiverse and resilient ecosystem or it can have deer. It cannot have both."
The organization said the initiative will also include reintroducing native, fire-resistant plant species as officials seek to reduce escalating wildfire risks on the island.
It remains unclear when the plan to remove the deer will be implemented.