Fewer than 800 Aleutian cackling geese remained in 1975, with the birds restricted to a single rocky island in Alaska after introduced Arctic foxes destroyed nesting colonies across the Aleutian Islands. Fifty years later, predator removal, the creation of protected wetlands in California and coordinated management along the Pacific Flyway have helped the population recover to nearly 200,000 birds. The recovery has allowed US federal wildlife officials to move the species from protection under the Endangered Species Act to a regulated migratory game bird hunting system. Official documents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), including Federal Register Document 2023-17175, outline the current rules for the species, formally known as Branta hutchinsii leucopareia. Species records from the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge show that the goose was among the first animals protected under early federal endangered species laws. The population decline began in the 18th and 19th centuries, when fur traders released Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) on nearly 200 islands across the Aleutian chain. The introduced predators attacked ground nests, killed adult birds and ate eggs. Over time, breeding colonies disappeared from almost the entire natural nesting range.
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