Duck survey brings hunters good news

It's pushing past 110 degrees outside, but waterfowl hunters can take heart knowing the hunting season is less than three months away, and they can expect to see a similar number of birds as they did in 2009. That prediction is based on findings of the 2010 Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey, which estimates the total North American duck population to be 40.9 million birds, down slightly from the estimated 42 million last year.

Although the overall population seems to have a taken a little dip, that estimate is still 21 percent above the long-term average, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, whose biologists conduct the annual survey along with the Canadian Wildlife Service. Each spring they survey more than 2 million square miles in the continent's primary nesting areas, which stretch from the northeastern United States across much of Canada and into Alaska.

The report puts the estimated mallard population at 8.4 million ducks, a slight drop from 2009 but still 12 percent above the long-term average from 1955 to 2009. At approximately 3 million birds, Gadwall have experienced somewhat of resurgence, with their population 67 percent larger than the long-term average, and green-winged teal are 78 percent above that average. Other species whose populations are higher than average are northern shovelers, redheads and blue-winged teal. American widgeon and canvasback numbers are holding steady while greater and lesser scaup numbers have dropped.

Results of the breeding survey are used to guide the USFWS's waterfowl conservation programs within the framework outlined by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918) and in a coordinated effort with biologists from state wildlife agencies in four different flyways. Nevada is in the Pacific Flyway; the other flyways are Central, Atlantic and Mississippi. Through these partnerships, the regulatory framework is established for waterfowl hunting seasons, including dates and bag limits.

The entire Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey report, which discusses breeding population trends from 1955 through 2010 is available online at www.fws.gov.

Speaking of flyways and hunting seasons, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would like to hear from you. On July 9, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) dealing with the setting of annual regulations that permit the hunting of migratory birds. The agency is seeking comments and suggestions from individuals and organizations. To be considered comments must be submitted before March 26, 2011.

The draft EIS considers seven components -- six relating to recreational hunting and the other with subsistence hunting in Alaska. There is also focus on "the impact of cumulative harvest of migratory bird hunting on National Wildlife Refuges." The 318-page document is not for the faint of heart but could be a must read for folks who are serious about hunting. It is available online at www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/NewReportsPublications/Hunting.

Send your comments to Robert Trost, Pacific Flyway Representative, Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland, Ore., 97232.  Or you can do so electronically by sending an e-mail to huntingEIS@fws.gov.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column, published Thursday, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.