The goal of reducing the wolf population remains, and licensed hunting is needed to achieve it, says Eva Olsen, head of the nature and water department at the Västra Götaland County Administrative Board (regional government authority), at a press conference.
The largest number of wolves can be shot in Örebro County - a total of 36. In Västmanland and Dalarna, which share a territory, 18 wolves can be shot; in Västra Götaland, 12; and in Södermanland, 6. In Värmland, however, there will be no wolf hunt this winter.
Last year's licensed hunt was halted by a court after appeals from, among others, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The canceled season means that next year's hunt, which starts on January 2, could be the largest since licensed hunting resumed in 2010.
In the record year of 2023, when 75 wolves were allowed to be shot, 57 were killed.
Wise and sensible
Mikael Samuelsson, vice chairman of the Swedish Hunters' Association, welcomes the decision.
It's quite natural that there will be more wolves next winter, considering there was no hunting last year, he says.
To avoid new legal obstacles, the county administrative boards based their decision on the higher, previously approved reference value of 300 wolves.
"It's wise and sensible. It will be appealed, and this ensures there won't be another halt," says Mikael Samuelsson.
The decision to halt licensed hunting for 2026 came after the EU harshly criticized Sweden for drastically reducing the reference value for so-called favorable conservation status from 300 to 170 wolves without scientific evidence. According to the court, the hunt risked threatening the species' long-term survival in Sweden.
The criticism prompted the government to back down and raise the reference value to 220 wolves this summer.
Outrageous and irresponsible
Thursday's announcement was condemned by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, which believes the increased hunting puts the long-term survival of wolves in Sweden at risk.
"It is outrageous that every fifth wolf in Sweden will be shot, even though the population is highly endangered. Our wolves are already heavily inbred, and this hunt risks making the situation worse. It is irresponsible risk-taking with a protected and highly endangered species," says Beatrice Rindevall, chair of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, in a comment to TT.
The latest inventory, conducted last winter, showed that there were approximately 355 wolves in Sweden.
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