MICHAEL A. JOHNSON, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 North Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501
Waterfowl management programs have a long and successful history of providing hunting opportunity consistent with the long-term conservation of populations. Landscape level changes in habitats, due primarily to agriculture but also to refuge provision, have increased the productivity and survival of mid-continent snow geese resulting in the overabundance of these birds. Traditional managment programs have not been able to restrain the growth of the Mid-continent snow goose population. Waterfowl managers have, for many years, increased bag limits and lengthened seasons in the Mississippi and Central Flyways in the dual effort of reducing population size and allowing additional recreational hunting opportunity. Despite this, populations have continued to grow and have become a serious problem as documented in Part II of this report.
Managers have engaged in extensive discussions regarding what extraordinary actions could be taken to reduce the numbers of snow geese. As a result of their collective and extensive experience, they have serious doubts that further liberalization of traditional hunting frameworks and techniques can be effective. Nevertheless, managers believe that hunters can, and must be, a major element of the ultimate solution. The collective wisdom of waterfowl managers was drawn upon in the assembly of this section of the report.
Effective population reduction will require reducing adult survival. The most effective time to do this is during the migration and wintering periods when the birds are in areas where hunters are most abundant. Hunters provide a motivated and experienced work force that do not have to be compensated for their involvement if it involves techniques, regulations and situations to which they can easily adapt. The hunting public has a strong vested interest in the long-term integrity of waterfowl populations and will almost certainly be willing and active participants.
Efforts to reduce the population will have to deal with both reducing the numbers of birds in the population and with halting further population growth. Both survival and recruitment rates will likely be addressed. Along with immediate actions to reduce the population size, it is important that managers address the associated habitat issues and the required long-term solutions for maintaining the population size at an appropriate level. A broad range of techniques, covering the entire geographical and temporal distribution of snow geese, will likely be needed.
Below is a list of management strategies recommended to control the overpopulation of snow geese. These have been reconciled through discussions with the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group, with managers in the Mississippi and Central Flyways and with several other colleagues involved in waterfowl management. In developing this list, a wide range of alternatives was considered. Those which were considered to be ineffective were rejected. Also rejected were strategies which were not consistent with the guiding principle that recognizes the birds as a valuable natural resource for viewing, hunting and food (see Introduction page 4).
Management strategies have been grouped into two categories:
I) Population control by hunters.
II) Population control by wildlife agencies.
These treatments are not listed in order of priority.