California officials have approved a controversial sharpshooter plan to eliminate invasive mule deer on Catalina Island, advancing a long-debated environmental restoration effort that has drawn sharp public criticism. State regulators signed off on the permit late last month, clearing the way for lethal removal using ground-based rifle teams.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the Catalina Island Conservancy’s restoration management permit on Jan. 26. The plan authorizes trained sharpshooters to eradicate the island’s non-native mule deer population over several years. Earlier proposals to use helicopter-mounted shooters were dropped after residents condemned the idea as dangerous and excessive.
“Since October 2023, residents shared concerns about aerial shooting of deer,” the Conservancy 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.”
The deer, introduced to Catalina Island in the early 1930s, have no natural predators and now number between 500 and 1,800. According to the Conservancy, the population has caused severe environmental damage, including the destruction of native plants, soil erosion, water loss, heightened wildfire risk, and pressure on native species.
Scott Morrison, director of conservation and science for The Nature Conservancy in California, defended the decision. “The evidence of the severity of the threat the deer pose is overwhelming, and all other alternatives have been exhausted,” Morrison said. “Catalina Island can have either a functional, biodiverse and resilient ecosystem or it can have deer. It cannot have both.”
Under the sharpshooter plan, removed deer will be processed and used as meat for the California Condor Recovery Program. The broader initiative, known as Operation Protect Catalina Island, also includes restoring native, fire-resistant vegetation. Officials have not announced when the eradication effort will begin.
