Huerta: ‘Those Big Birds Have Taken Out Enough Airplanes’

ANN April 1 Special Edition

The FAA has issued a plan to register all Canadian geese operating in U.S. airspace in an effort to reduce the number of bird strikes on airplanes.

“Those big birds have taken out enough airplanes, and it’s time we established a way to track the birds that cause accidents,” Huerta said. “We don’t need another ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ because the next time a Sullenberger might not be at the controls. We have to get serious about this very real safety issue.”

The FAA has established a task force made up of stakeholders like The Audubon Society and The American Birding Association to craft the rules for the registry. A draft document leaked to ANN indicates that all Canadian geese that have achieved the ability to fly will need to be placed on the registry.  Each bird will be captured and fitted with a special leg band with a miniature solar-powered ADS-B Out transmitter to allow tracking by Air Traffic Control.

The FAA says it has the authority to levy fines against the Government of Canada for any bird that is not registered or which is registered and causes an accident. “We understand that they’re migratory and they will be operating in U.S. Airspace,” Huerta said. “But we have to be able to place blame on somebody when things go wrong, and since they’re Canadian geese, that just seemed like a natural thing. I mean, the EU wants to impose taxes on U.S. airlines for emissions from airplanes flying over Europe, so we can certainly hold Canada responsible for its geese.”

In a move seen as retaliatory, Transport Canada has established a task force that would create rules for the registration of all American bald eagles. “They’re like pigeons in Alaska, and a lot of those make incursions into Canadian airspace,” said Canadian Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.

Garneau also said that hunters who shoot at Canadian geese may also face fines and imprisonment. “If you’re going to treat them like aircraft, you’d bloody well better not be shooting at them,” he said.

FMI: www.faa.gov