INTRODUCTION 
Kach year during early August the waterfowl shooting 
regulations for the fall season are established. At that time 
current information regarding the status of the population must 
be available to Game Administrators to provide a sound basis 
for the determinations. 
The surveys are conducted annually for the pwrpose 
of ascertaining waterfowl population status. ‘These are: (1) 
a January survey of the continental wintering areas to measure 
the distribution and relative number of birds remaining after 
the close of the previous shooting season; (2) a survey among 
waterfowl hunters immediately following the shooting season to 
measure the size of the kill and the effect of hunting regula- 
tions on hunter activity and ki11; and (3) a survey of the major 
continental breeding areas during May, June and July to measure 
size and distribution of the breeding population and the relative 
number of young produced. 
This report summarized the results of the three surveys 
and presents a forecast of anticipated change in the relative 
size of the 1959 fall flight of ducks, geese, brant, and coot in 
each of the waterfowl flyways in the United States. 
