In 1954, 1955, and 1956 no aerial survey was done in the 
Maritime Provinces. After 1954, shoreline transects were not flown. 
In 1957, the first survey (breeding population) was dropped. The 
second (production survey) was started but not completed because 
of mechanical difficulties with the aircraft. 
In addition to the above surveys, Eklund and Cool (1949) made 
an exploratory aerial survey in the Ungava area of Quebec in 1949. 
In 1954, about 7,000 miles were flown in late August and early 
September to locate waterfowl concentrations for future banding 
stations. 
After 1957, aerial surveys in eastern Canada were discontinued 
until 1962. The breeding population survey in 1962 started about 
3 weeks late and, consequently, the data collected are not comparable 
with those of any other year. The production survey in 1962, as well 
as surveys in 1963 and 1964, started on time and yielded data that 
are comparable with those of earlier years. 
Because of changes in method, coverage, and sampling intensity 
that occurred during earlier years, only data from the 1955, 1956, 
1963, and 1964 surveys are discussed in this report. 
The Problems 
Many problems accompanied attempts to develop reliable aerial 
surveys in eastern Canada. The size of the area in relation to 
available manpower and equipment is a basic problem. The sex of 
the black duck, a species of major importance in the area, cannot 
be determined from the air. This complicates determination of the 
number of breeding pairs from the data. The density of breeding 
ducks in eastern Canada is comparatively low, creating sampling 
problems unlike those in the prairie regions of Canada. Weather 
problems can be placed in two categories, (1} annual variations in 
ice-free dates and (2) geographic variations in annual phenology 
within the survey area caused by differences in elevation and lati¬ 
tude. Also, extended periods of low clouds, fog, and rain often 
interfere with the survey schedule. 
Operational problems include lack of navigation aids and aero¬ 
drome facilities. Inadequate or inaccurate charts have contributed 
to the difficulty of completing any given survey during the required 
time. These problems have been reduced since 1957. More airports 
and fuel facilities have become available. More weather reporting 
stations and navigation aids have come with the airports. National 
defense installations, mining operations, and hydroelectric systems 
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