Framework-Date Extensions and the Management of Duck Harvests: A Synopsis

The possibility of extending framework dates so that duck-hunting seasons can open earlier and remain open later has been the subject of extensive debate within the waterfowl management community. While potentially desirable from the perspective of hunting opportunity, extended framework dates could increase duck harvests substantially, cause shifts in the distribution of harvest toward more northerly and southerly States, and change duck reproductive behavior or physiology in adverse ways. Despite these uncertain impacts, interest in extended framework dates remains strong among most southern and some northern States. In response to this interest, the USFWS has proposed an opening date of the Saturday nearest September 24 and a closing date of the last Sunday in January, with no reductions in season length, in the “liberal” and “moderate” regulatory alternatives. The purpose of this synopsis is to briefly describe the conceptual model for accommodating framework-date extensions in adaptive harvest management (AHM) for mallards. More detailed information is available from the authors and from a report circulated to the Flyway Councils in February (Johnson, F. A., J. A. Royle, and M. C. Runge, 2002, Framework-date extensions and the adaptive management of mallard harvest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service unpubl. rep.). This synopsis also describes some of the anticipated impacts of extensions on mallards and other species.