66 



At this point, I want to make it perfectly clear that the National Wildlife 

 Federation is not opposed to complete protection of wildlife as a proper manage- 

 ment tool. However, and this is the key point, protection is simply one of several 

 techniques used by the professional wildlife biologists. Harvesting of surplus 

 wildlife populations is an equally important management tool if the continuing 

 long-range well being of an animal population is the ultimate objective. 



The point I am making, Mr. Chairman, is that any recommendation or decision 

 concerning the proper handling of wildlife should be made within the frame- 

 work of scientific management based upon factual research data and experience 

 and on the restoratic . and maintenance of proper wildlife habitat — not on the 

 basis of emotional, philosophical or moral judgments. 



The Federation feels that it is absolutely vit^il to world wildlife ix)pulations 

 that we continue management efforts, as crude as they may be, that are built up 

 on a solid foundation of scientific knowledge about the status and needs of vtdld- 

 life. If we have inefiicient data we all should direct our efforts towards filling in 

 those gaps in our body of knowledge. We need all management tools at our dis- 

 posal including both protection and harvest to solve the complexities of contem- 

 porary wildlife management. To do otherwise, in this enlightened age, would be 

 an abrogation of our responsibilities to the fish and fauna of the world. No mat- 

 ter how much we may desire it, we cannot return to pristine natural conditions 

 of the Stone Age. Modern man, approximately five billion in number, has so dis- 

 rupted our plant and ecological systems, poisoned and polluted the environment, 

 that the only hope for much of the world's wildlife is for man to utilize his great 

 powers of reason, science, technology and persuasion to overcome or minimize 

 the adverse impact of his own instrustions into the plant and animal ecosystems. 



The worst disservice we could perform to any form of wildlife would be to 

 abandon the principle of sound management. Because man has so complicated 

 and disrupted the animal habitats there is little semblance of the balance of 

 nature. If populations are not kept at levels that are supported by adequate food 

 supply and by living and breeding space of their natural habitat, they ^ill die 

 of starvation and disease as well as suffering a lack of procreation. In addition, 

 the habitat must provide ample living space, not marginal subsistence, if healthy 

 wildlife populations are to be maintained over extended periods of time. Re- 

 covery to a normal balanced population following a starvation dieoff is a slow, 

 inhumane and unnecessary process. In our view, the methods employed in re- 

 moving surplus populations whether carried out by individuals representing 

 sporting or commercial interests should be left to regulation by professional wild- 

 life management experts as long as control is exercised to protect the basic 

 brood stocks and the harvest is carried out in the most humane manner. 



I know that the record will clearly show that the National Wildlife Federa- 

 tion has always vigorously supported legislation designed to completely protect 

 rare and endangered species. Also, the Federation endorses the existing legisla- 

 tion that provides Federal protection to certain species of birds. But again, the 

 decisions that led to this legislation were made on a scientifically sound man- 

 agement basis. 



And that is why, Mr. Chairman, the National Wildlife Federation can support 

 H.R. 10420. While that bill contains — at least in our judgment — some deficiencies, 

 it embraces the concept of resource management and sustained yield which is so 

 vital to this issue. Accordingly, the Federation endorses H.R. 10420 subject to the 

 following comments. 



Section 2. Findings and Declaration, is a good statement. We especially en- 

 dorse the thought contained in subsection (2) that species will be managed on 

 a sustained yield basis. This point is pivotal to the entire bill. However, we feel 

 that the statement would be more meaningful and less vulnerable to subjective 

 interpretation if the word "optimum" were deleted from line 2. page 2. 



Section 3. Definitions, appears to contain a loophole in (4) that could be 

 exploited by commercial fishing interests. We recommend that everything fol- 

 lowing the word "Mammal" on line 8. page 3, be deleted from (4). Also, we 

 recommend that the term "scientific wildlife management" be added as subsec- 

 tion (6) and defined substantially as expressed, in part, by Dr. Robert H. Giles, 

 Jr., Associate Professor, Wildlife Management. Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 

 his article entitled "Approach" in the 1969 edition of the book "Wildlife Man- 

 agement Techniques" published by the Wildlife Society. (The words in paren- 

 theses are additions of the National Wildlife Federation). "(Scientific) wildlife 

 management is the science and art of changing the characteristics and inter- 

 actions of habitats, wild animal populations, and man in order to achieve (a 

 sustained yield) by means of the wildlife resource. (Techniques used to achieve 



