North America duck numbers pegged at 42 million
Posted By Monte Sonnenberg — Sun Media
Posted 6 months ago
Things are just ducky in wetlands across North America according to a comprehensive report from Canadian and American wildlife agencies.
The latest installment of Trends in Duck Breeding Populations says key species are at or near their top populations since the survey began in 1955. The report pegs the North American duck population at more than 42 million.
“This estimate represents a 13% increase over last year’s estimate of 37.3 million birds and was 25% above the long-term average,” says the report, which is based on data compiled by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service.
The survey focuses on 10 key species, all of which pass through the Long Point area during the spring and fall migrations.
“It’s the most comprehensive wildlife survey of its kind in the world,” says Dr. Scott Petrie, executive director of Long Point Waterfowl. “No study has had this much money spent on it. Over all, the study shows that waterfowl populations are doing very well.”
Research this spring suggests the green-winged teal is at the peak of its trend with an estimated population of 3.4 million.
The blue-winged teal, at 7.38 million birds, is slightly below its 54-year peak of 7.4 million birds, which was recorded in 2000. The northern shoveler (4.3 million) , redhead (1.04 million) and canvasback (662,000) all recorded peak populations within the past three years and remain within range of these historic highs.
Petrie says the numbers have turned around because governments on both sides of the border have made wetland preservation and improvement a priority.
Critical was an American initiative adopted in the 1980s called the Conservation Reserve Program. CRP provides cash incentives to farmers to convert marginal land into habitat. CRP has set aside nearly 20 million acres in 10-year contracts. However, many farmers are opting out today to grow corn for ethanol production. It remains to be seen what impact this has on the continental duck population.
Conservation agencies in Canada and the U.S. devote so many resources to waterfowl research because duck hunting is big business.
“They’re very important economically,” Petrie said. “When you consider the number of people who have jobs because of duck hunting, the amount of money put back into the economy is staggering. Waterfowl hunting is especially important to the economies of the American midwest. People just don’t know how important duck hunting is to the economy.”
Petrie also cited “prudent” hunting regulations as a factor in increasing duck numbers.
Mallards remain the most abundant duck in North America. The lastest survey pegs their numbers at 8.5 million. This is down from the 11.2 million in 1958.
Other species noted include the gadwall (3 million), the American wigeon (2.4 million), the northern pintail (3.2 million) and scaup (4.1 million).
