Conservation Corner: January 11, 1999

Setting Waterfowl Seasons (Part 2)
by James L. Cummins

Last week, we looked at some of the various waterfowl surveys and how biologists gather information to assist them in setting waterfowl regulations. This week, we'll look at how waterfowl hunting regulations are developed.

Until ratification of the Migratory Bird Treaty in 1916 and passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, migratory bird hunting regulations were under the control of the individual States.

In 1947, as a result of state wildlife agencies expanding their participation in waterfowl management programs and requests for increased involvement in the decision-making process for developing hunting regulations, the U.S. Fish and Service divided the nation into 4 "flyways" for the primary purpose of managing waterfowl. By 1953, the 4 Flyway Councils - the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific - had been organized and the National Waterfowl Council established.

It wasn't long thereafter that annual regulations became more complex. Factors weighted each year prior to setting regulations included differences in abundances of birds, hunter demographics and climate. Generally, as is still the case today, regulations were most liberal in the Pacific Flyway and most restrictive in the Atlantic Flyway due to hunter numbers and hunting pressure. Today, most regulations are guided by population goals and harvest guidelines. Annual hunting regulations are developed through a series of meetings, public hearings, proposed rules, public comments and final rules involving the States, Flyway Councils, non-governmental organizations, such as Wildlife Mississippi, and the public. A Service Regulations Committee, comprised of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel, reviews information and Council recommendations provided to them and submits recommendations to the Director of the Service, and ultimately to the Secretary of the Interior, for final action.

The harvest management objective used for the 1998-99 season relied on the mallard population goal of 8.1 million according to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, a continent-wide plan to conserve, restore, and enhance waterfowl habitat and populations. If the goal was exceeded, the objective would be to provide maximum hunting opportunity, consistent with conservation, of course. Emphasis on hunting opportunity would decline as the population declined. Liberal hunting regulations could still be appropriate in years when the mallard population is below the goal, if the habitat were expected to result in good production of young and a large population.

The Plan goal of 8.1 million mallards was established to ensure satisfactory levels of hunting opportunity, but also for ecological purposes. While the Plan is intended to guide habitat conservation, the mallard population goal has been formally endorsed by the federal governments of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and is accepted by most State, provincial, and private conservation organizations.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.