COVID-19 forces cancellation of waterfowl breeding survey
By Eric Barker, of the Tribune Sep 25, 2020

The annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was canceled this year, another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey gives waterfowl managers valuable data used to set hunting seasons and gives hunters an idea of what to expect as they head to fields and marshes each fall.

The Canadian Wildlife Service and several state agencies that normally participate in the counting of breeding ducks also opted out this year.

It is the first time since 1955 the survey has been nixed.

“Decisions to cancel the May survey and other migratory bird monitoring this spring were based on our priority of protecting the health and safety of the American public, our partners and our employees,” said Ken Richkus, chief of the USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management.


According to a news release from the conservation and hunting group Ducks Unlimited, the cancellation does not immediately hamper the ability of federal and state wildlife managers to set harvest levels for this fall. They used data from the 2019 survey to set hunting seasons and will use long-term data to set seasons in 2021.

“These surveys are the bedrock of effective harvest management in North America and have helped sustain waterfowl populations and abundant hunting opportunities for over 60 years,” said Ducks Unlimited Chief Conservation Officer Karen Waldrop. “Although we will miss the anticipation and excitement that comes with the annual release of the May survey results, we don’t expect the cancellation of surveys to impact seasons and bag limits for the majority of species. The combination of healthy, robust waterfowl populations and our long-term experience with these data, gives us faith that the waterfowl management community can project populations with a high level of certainty.”

https://lmtribune.com/outdoors/covid...9bfb3fd1a.html