BTS Sex Pheromone Research— NWRC scientists 

 investigated the potential use of female BTS sex 

 pheromones and synthetic versions as a tool for 

 detecting small, incipient populations of BTSs in 

 locations on and off Guam. In an initial study, 

 scientists assessed responses of adult males to 

 substrate-borne skin secretions of adult females 

 in an outdoor seminatural enclosure on Guam. It 

 is thought that females produce the pheromone 

 only when in estrus. Therefore, males were given a 

 simultaneous choice of investigating poles to which 

 the scent of either a vitellogenic (breeding) female 

 or nonvitellogenic (nonbreeding) female had been 

 applied or a no-scent control pole. 



Males spent more time, and exhibited a greater 

 frequency of investigative "nose-probes," on 

 poles contacted by vitellogenic females than by 

 nonvitellogenic females or no-scent controls. 



APHIS continues to hold registrations with EPA 

 for rodenticides, predacides, avicides, repellants, 

 snake toxicants, and one avian repellant. In 

 addition, APHIS holds Investigational New Animal 

 Drug (INAD) applications with FDA for immobilizing 

 and contraceptive agents used in animal damage 

 management. To maintain or expand authorized 

 use of these products, the Registration Unit 

 works closely with NWRC scientists to ensure that 

 studies conducted for regulatory purposes meet 

 EPA and FDA recommendations. In addition, 

 the Registration Unit responds to requests from 

 WS Operations personnel for new products 

 or improvements to existing products. The 

 Registration Unit also provides technical assistance 

 and information to State WS programs. Federal 

 and State agricultural and conservation agencies, 

 academic institutions, nongovernmental groups, 

 and private industry. 



Registration Program Support 



The NWRC Registration Unit is responsible for 

 ensuring that the registrations for chemical- 

 based vertebrate-management tools used in WS' 

 operational program are current and meet State 

 and Federal regulations. The Unit works closely 

 with APHIS' Policy and Program Development, 

 Environmental Services office in all product- 

 registration activities. 



Regulatory Oversight of Contraceptives and 

 Immobilizing Agents 



The primary regulatory event impacting APHIS 

 during the past year is a change in the regulatory 

 oversight of the immobilizing and contraceptive 

 agents. In early fiscal year (FY) 2007, FDA and 

 EPA began negotiations to draft a Memorandum 

 of Understanding (MOU) between themselves. 

 The draft MOU specifies that the regulation of 



A female BTS is coaxed to move along a pole in order to apply her skin scent to the pole as part of a pheromone study. (NWRC 

 photo by Tom Mathies.) 



Developing Methods 43 



