Background
Canadian hunting regulations for migratory game birds are reviewed annually by Environment Canada, with input from the provinces and territories, and a range of other interested stakeholders. As part of this process, the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) produces three reports each year. The November report "Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada" contains population and other biological information on migratory game birds, and thus provides the scientific basis for management. The December report "Proposals to Amend the Canadian Migratory Birds Regulations" outlines the proposed changes to the annual hunting regulations, as well as other proposed amendments to the Migratory Birds Regulations. These two documents are distributed to organizations and individuals with an interest in migratory game bird conservation, to provide an opportunity for input to the development of hunting regulations in this country. The third report "Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations in Canada", issued in July summarizes the hunting regulations for the upcoming hunting season.
Data presented in the November report come from a variety of sources. Breeding population estimates and trends for inland ducks are derived from large-scale systematic aerial surveys conducted annually in eastern and western Canada, and parts of the United States. Additional small-scale, usually annual, breeding waterfowl surveys are also conducted in other parts of this country. Information on sea duck populations comes mainly from surveys limited to a few key locations or a small area of the species range, during the breeding, moulting, or wintering period. Goose population estimates and trends are derived mainly from specific annual or occasional surveys carried out during the breeding season or, in some cases, during migration. Additional information on waterfowl populations is also provided by mid-winter surveys on the wintering grounds conducted annually in the four U.S. flyways. Population information on swans and other migratory game birds is derived from specific breeding or wintering surveys, or countrywide breeding bird surveys. Harvest levels of migratory game birds in Canada and the United States are estimated through national harvest surveys and, in some cases, through species-specific surveys. From 1961 through 2001, estimates of waterfowl harvest in the U.S. were derived from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service's Waterfowl Questionnaire Survey. A new survey (Harvest Information Program or HIP) was fully implemented in 1999, and in addition to waterfowl, included species and groups of migratory game birds such as woodcock, doves and snipe. Since the source of participants and the questionnaire used in the Harvest Information Program are different from those used previously, harvest estimates between the two surveys are not comparable. U.S. harvest estimates from 1999 to 2003 should be viewed as preliminary.
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