
base decisions. In Canada, Provincial and Dominion authorities received summaries 
of the breeding population data which had been obtained up to a few days before the 
Canadian regulation conference in June, The Canadian workers, however, continued 
with the investigations after their regulations had been discussed, as not only are full 
reports of the season invaluable to long-time management but sound regulations in the 
United States also benefit Canadians. 
Since the Regulation and Advisory Board Committees in the United States were 
to meet during the first week in August, July 29 was set.as the deadline date for the 
breeding ground reports to reach Washington. As the various reports were received, 
they were carefully reviewed and the pertinent information was extracted to give as |. 
clear an idea as possible of conditions in the different sections of the breeding range. 
The data were then considered in the light of known distribution of birds from each | 
area to the four major flyways. This information, along with maps indicating the 
coverage and the general results in each section, was discussed in the several 
committees. After the committee meetings, a brief digest of the reports was distributed 
to State Game Departments, along with the Regulation Committee's recommendations. 
The summary for the regulation group, of course, could not present as adequate 
a picture of conditions in the many breeding areas as the reports contained in this 
compilation. Also, it could not hope to do justice to the fine work that had been done in 
the field nor give full credit where it was due. Yet the summary of the data submitted 
by the many men scattered over the breeding grounds had a pronounced influence on the 
regulations. To all those who assisted with the cooperative studies, there should come 
the satisfaction of knowing that the waterfowl regulations were better because of their 
joint effort. 
If the areas on which cooperative surveys were made this year were spotted on 
a map, it would become apparent that most of the breeding grounds of known importance 
on the continent were sampled. Despite this extension of coverage and the progress 
which has been made since 1947, there still remains much to be done. More exploratory 
work in the Far North is needed to judge the relative value of the available areas to 
production, The wrinkles in aerial and ground survey techniques must be ironed out and 
a common denominator found by which the results from one section can be added better 
to those of another. Additional tests must be made on current methods to determine the 
size of samples needed to represent conditions adequately. More birds of the different 
species must be banded each year on the breeding grounds prior to the opening of shoot- 
ing seasons, so that species' flyways will be more clearly outlined and hunting pressure 
indices be made available. These and other related problems will test the ingenuity of 
waterfowl workers. It may not be possible for us to come up with annual estimates of 
production for the several flyways, but in striving together for this goal, Provincial, 
State, and Federal administrators can be supplied with the best criteria available for 
regulating hunting seasons and bag limits. The data in the following reports emphasize 
this. 
