2021 Volume 3 Pages 301-304
Sika deer population management in Hokkaido has been strongly influenced by whale resource management research in monitoring frameworks and management approaches. The whale survey consisted of five pillars: catch statistics, visual observations, tag-recovery surveys, biological surveys from whaling, and special catch surveys. In references to the whale monitoring, sika deer monitoring was constructed involving capture information (SPUE, CPUE), visual observations (spotlight census, aircraft survey), radio telemetry surveys, genetic surveys, and biological surveys from hunting and culling for assessing age structure and the reproductive characteristics of female deer. We adopted the Revised Management Procedure (RMP）for whaling to Hokkaido sika deer population as feedback management because there was uncertainty in estimating population size. Feedback management incorporated into deer management in the eastern part of Hokkaido became the pioneer of science-based wildlife management in Japan. It influenced the establishment of the Specified Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan by amending the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Act in 1999. Feedback management is almost synonymous with adaptive management in a broad sense. The large-scale feedback management of sika deer in Hokkaido is a practical example of adaptive management of deer ahead of the world.
