The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on whether to modify the regulatory alternatives it considers in setting duck-hunting seasons. The potential changes include increases in season lengths and bag limits in some of the existing alternatives as well as the addition of a very restrictive alternative.
The Service published a notice in the March 13, 1997, Federal Register asking for public comment before it formally proposes any changes.
Last year, the Service considered three regulatory alternatives--"restrictive," "moderate," and "liberal"--before selecting the "liberal" alternative. Under changes recommended by the Adaptive Harvest Management Working Group, bag limits and season lengths would be increased in the "moderate" and "liberal" options. These changes are intended to provide additional hunting opportunity in a way that is biologically sound and that reflects the desires and needs of state wildlife agencies.
"Liberal" regulations would be permitted only when mallard populations could be maintained at or near the goal of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Historically, regulations have been tied to mallard populations because they are the most common duck harvested and are a bellwether for many other species.
The working group also recommended that a fourth
