Aleutian cackling geese are one of the greatest wildlife management success stories to date in North America. The Aleutian goose was listed as Federally endangered in 1967 with total population counts below 800 individuals into the mid-1970s before the population recovered to what it is today. This species of goose nests on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, USA and undergoes a 2000-mile transoceanic flight to and from California’s North Coast. The North Coast is an important staging area for the birds where they benefit from nutrient-rich agricultural pasture lands for energy reserves. Results from 2023 spring waterfowl surveys estimated the Aleutian goose population at 212,113 individuals, approximately 353% greater than the 60,000-bird population target of the Pacific Flyway Aleutian Goose Management Plan. Local agriculturalists have been integral partners in restoration efforts by providing habitat and protections for this species. After population recovery was declared and the species was completely delisted in 2001, the Aleutian Goose Working Group was formed to help agriculturalists, hunters, environmentalists, scientists, and regulators to actively manage geese and ensure no negative effect to the population from new management actions. Twenty-two years later, the Aleutian Goose Working Group re-formed to navigate the legislative hurdles necessary to shift management to meet the changes in goose migration patterns and associated agricultural losses. Waterfowl managers have limited tools for population management, hunting being one of the only options. The Aleutian Goose Working Group worked with local interest groups and agricultural trade organizations to find compromise to adjust the annual goose hunting season to better match fall goose migration timing. Ultimately, the hunting season for geese was moved forward one month in fall 2023 to help alleviate losses to irrigated pasture lands in Humboldt County. In a survey administered spring 2024, North Coast agriculturalists (n = 22), representing approximately 10,512 acres of production agriculture, reported losses of $98.74/acre and $45.45/acre in the fall/winter of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, respectively. This case study demonstrated how minor adjustments to hunting seasonality worked to better meet the needs of the agriculturalist, hunters, and regulators to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions with this waterfowl species.
