(Fwd) Service Proposes Flyway-Based Harvest for Wood Ducks
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Tue, 7 Jul 1998 17:08:13 -0500
Oh good Lord, you mean they shoot wood ducks TOO? And why do
they call it "harvest"? Sorry, but this is just too much...
Norm
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: mitch_snow@mail.fws.gov
Date sent: Tue, 07 Jul 98 09:51:01 -0700
To: <fws-news@web2.irm.r9.fws.gov>
Subject: Service Proposes Flyway-Based Harvest for Wood Ducks
July 7, 1998 Hugh Vickery 202-208-5634
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PROPOSES
DEVELOPMENT OF
FLYWAY-BASED HARVEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR
WOOD DUCKS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to establish a
flyway-based harvest management strategy for wood ducks, ending
special experimental September seasons in Kentucky, Tennessee,
and Florida after the 2000-2001 waterfowl season.
The experimental wood duck seasons were initiated in 1981
following requests for additional wood duck hunting
opportunities. The special September season was designed to
target regional populations of wood ducks in the southern U.S.,
which tend to have higher survival rates and lower harvest rates
than northern wood ducks. The goal was to evaluate the
biological soundness of such a harvest strategy.
Wood duck harvest management has been hindered by the inability
to census wood ducks due to their secretive nature and to the
densely vegetated habitats that they occupy. Because adequate
regional population monitoring programs are lacking, evaluation
of the experimental September wood duck season has been
unsuccessful. The Service believes that without such programs,
wood duck management should be approached at the flyway level,
not the state or regional level, and the September wood duck
seasons should be discontinued.
As part of the proposal, the Service would work with the flyway
councils to improve the way wood duck harvest strategies are
developed at the flyway level. Current monitoring programs
provide much of the flyway-level population information that is
needed, but Federal and state biologists have additional
technical work to do to incorporate this information and other
relevant data into a flyway harvest strategy.
During the interim period in which the technical work is being
completed, the Service proposes to allow Florida, Kentucky, and
Tennessee to hold September wood duck seasons for a maximum of
3
more years. After September 2000, the seasons in Florida,
Kentucky, and Tennessee will be discontinued. A flyway-based
approach would address regulatory issues such as wood duck bag
limits and season length during the regular duck season.
The Service made the proposal as part of the annual process of
setting early season migratory bird hunting regulations. It will
be published in the Federal Register in mid-July. The public may
comment in writing on the proposal until July 27, 1998.
Comments on the proposal may be sent to Chief, Office of
Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401
North Fairfax Drive, Suite 634, Arlington, Virginia 22203.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service's nearly 93 million acres include
514 national wildlife refuges, 78 ecological services field
stations, 66 national fish hatcheries, 50 wildlife coordination
areas, and 38 wetland management districts with waterfowl
production areas. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws,
manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, administers the Endangered Species Act, and
helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It
also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes Federal
excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife
agencies. This program is a cornerstone of the Nation's wildlife
management efforts, funding fish and wildlife restoration,
boating access, hunter education, shooting ranges, and related
projects across America.
-FWS-
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===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net