RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR 



WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT RESEARCH 



A primary resixjiisihility of the Biire^iu of Sport 

 Fislieries and Wildlife is the preservation and 

 management of migratory birds, among which 

 waterfowl attain paramount importance. In 

 meeting tliis responsibility, continuing research is 

 nec€ssar}' to (1) improve habitat management, 

 (2) develop new habitat, (3) define guidelines for 

 habitat acquisition, (4) evaluate the effects of reg- 

 ulations and other management measures, (5) im- 

 prove inventory methods and operations, and (6) 

 increase knowledge of the characteristics and re- 

 quirements of the various species. The Bureau 

 is pleased to acknowledge the cooperation of the 

 Provinces and States, both through their flyway 

 coimcils and through their own research progran^s. 



Sfud/ef: of major iraferfoirl upee'ien. — Tlie Bu- 

 reau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife has been en- 

 gaged in efforts to bring together all banding in- 

 formation and other population data contained 

 in its files on each major waterfowl spe<?ies. 

 Sources of information include handing and re- 

 covery data, bre<»ding-groiind and wintering- 

 ground surveys, hunting-kill infonnation, duck- 

 stamp sales, duck-wing survey results, and hunt- 

 ing regulations. The analysis of accumidated 

 banding data alone is one of tlie major under- 

 takings of the Migratory Bird Poijulations 

 Station. 



Analysis of data on the black duck has been 

 completed, and the mallard study is in progress. 

 In addition, records pertaining to the green- 



winged teal liave been retrieved and made avail- 

 able to Mr. (liaston Moisan of Lava! I'nivei-sity, 

 Quebec City, Quebec. His analysis of the data 

 has been completed. 



A quarter of a million black ducks were banded 

 before 1960. Analysis of these records has enabled 

 the delineation of \arious summer and winter pop- 

 ulations, and the tlistribution of the kill of ejich 

 population. Harvest and annual mortality rates 

 were estimated and, when comjiared witli hunting 

 regulations, showed evidence that liberalized sea- 

 sons increased the harvest rate and reduced sur- 

 vival of innnature black ducks. Also, there were 

 indications that increased harvest rates reduced 

 adult black duck survival. 



Summer and winter population sources of the 

 black duck liarvest in eacli State and Province 

 were examined by use of band recoveries. It was 

 concluded that no State or Province derives its 

 kill from sunnnering areas distinct from the areas 

 that sui)ply adjacent States or Provinces, which 

 were grouped into two major harvest units. These 

 correspond closely to tlie Atlantic and Mississippi 

 Flyway boundaries with the exception of AVest 

 Virginia, Floiida, and Georgia, which apjxnir to 

 harvest a poijulation of black ducks originating 

 from breeding grounds contributing primarily to 

 the Mississip|)i Flyway. 



Results point out two problems related to the 

 management and harvest of black ducks: (1) The 

 current pre-hunting-season banding program for 

 black ducks is inadequate because of the inacces- 

 sible nature of much of the species' breeding range : 



7rr5-624 O — 65 



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