[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13748-13753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7382]
[[Page 13747]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part V
Department of the Interior
_______________________________________________________________________
Fish and Wildlife Service
_______________________________________________________________________
50 CFR Part 20
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed 1998-1999 Migratory Game Bird Hunting
Regulations (Preliminary) With Requests for Indian Tribal Seasons;
Proposed Rule
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 1998 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 13748]]
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 20
RIN 1018-AE93
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed 1998-1999 Migratory Game Bird
Hunting Regulations (Preliminary) with Requests for Indian Tribal
Seasons
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter the Service)
proposes to establish annual hunting regulations for certain migratory
game birds. The Service also requests proposals from Indian tribes that
wish to establish special migratory bird hunting regulations. The
establishment of these regulations will permit the taking of the
designated species during the 1998-99 hunting season. The Service
annually prescribes outside limits (frameworks) within which States may
select hunting seasons. The Service has also employed guidelines to
establish special migratory bird hunting regulations on Federal Indian
reservations and ceded lands. These seasons provide hunting
opportunities for recreation and sustenance; aid Federal, State, and
tribal governments in the management of migratory game birds; and are
designed to permit harvests at levels compatible with migratory bird
population status and habitat conditions.
DATES: Tribes should submit proposals and related comments by June 2,
1998. The comment period for proposed early-season frameworks will end
on July 27, 1998; and for proposed late-season frameworks on September
7, 1998. The Service will hold a public hearing for early-season
frameworks on June 25, 1998, at 9 a.m. and late-season frameworks on
August 6, 1998, at 9 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The Service will hold both public hearings in the
Auditorium, Department of the Interior Building, 1849 C Street NW.,
Washington, DC. The public may submit written comments on the proposals
and notice of intention to testify at either hearing to the Chief,
Office of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior, ms 634--ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20240. All comments received, including names and
addresses, will become part of the public record. The public may
inspect comments received during normal business hours in room 634,
Arlington Square Building, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron W. Kokel at: Office of Migratory
Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the
Interior, ms 634--ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240 (703)
358-1714.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For administrative purposes, this document
consolidates the notice of intent and request for tribal proposals with
the preliminary proposals for the annual regulations-development
process. The Service will publish the remaining proposed and final
rulemaking documents separately. For inquiries on tribal guidelines and
proposals, please contact the following personnel.
--Region 1--Brad Bortner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 911 N.E. 11th
Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181; (503) 231-6164.
--Region 2--Jeff Haskins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103; (505) 248-7885.
--Region 3--Steve Wilds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal
Building, One Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056; (612)
725-3737.
--Region 4--Frank Bowers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century
Boulevard, Room 324, Atlanta, Georgia 30345; (404) 679-4000.
--Region 5--George Haas, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate
Center Drive, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035-9589; (413) 253-8576.
--Region 6--John Cornely, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
25486, Denver Federal Building, Denver, Colorado 80225; (303) 236-8145.
--Region 7--Robert Leedy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East
Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503; (907) 786-3423.
Notice of Intent to Establish Open Seasons
This notice announces the intention of the Director, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, to establish open hunting seasons and daily bag and
possession limits for certain designated groups or species of migratory
game birds for 1998-1999 in the contiguous United States, Alaska,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, under Secs. 20.101 through
20.107, 20.109, and 20.110 of subpart K of 50 CFR part 20.
``Migratory game birds'' are those bird species so designated in
conventions between the United States and several foreign nations for
the protection and management of these birds. All other birds
designated as migratory (under 10.13 of Subpart B of 50 CFR Part 10) in
the aforementioned conventions may not be hunted. For the 1998-99
hunting season, the Service will propose regulations for certain
designated members of the avian families Anatidae (ducks, geese, and
swans); Columbidae (doves and pigeons); Gruidae (cranes); Rallidae
(rails, coots, moorhens, and gallinules); and Scolopacidae (woodcock
and snipe). These proposals are described under Proposed 1998-99
Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations (Preliminary) in this document.
Definitions of waterfowl flyways and mourning dove management units, as
well as a description of the data used in and the factors affecting the
regulatory process, were published in the March 14, 1990, Federal
Register (55 FR 9618).
Regulatory Schedule for 1998-1999
This is the first in a series of proposed and final rulemaking
documents for migratory game bird hunting regulations. The Service will
make proposals relating to the harvest of migratory game birds
initiated after publication of this proposed rulemaking available for
public review in supplemental proposed rulemakings published in the
Federal Register. Also, the Service will publish additional
supplemental proposals for public comment in the Federal Register as
population, habitat, harvest, and other information become available.
Because of the late dates when certain portions of these data
become available, the Service anticipates that comment periods on some
proposals will be necessarily abbreviated. Special circumstances limit
the amount of time which the Service can allow for public comment on
these regulations. Specifically, two considerations compress the time
for the rulemaking process: the need, on one hand, to establish final
rules at a time early enough in the summer to allow resource agencies
to select and publish season dates and bag limits prior to the hunting
seasons and, on the other hand, the lack of current data on the status
of most migratory game birds until later in the summer.
Because the process is strongly influenced by the times when
information is available for consideration, the overall regulations
process is divided into two segments. Early seasons are those seasons
that generally open prior to October 1, and include seasons in Alaska,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Late seasons are those
seasons opening in the remainder of the United States about
[[Page 13749]]
October 1 and later, and include most of the waterfowl seasons.
Major steps in the 1998-1999 regulatory cycle relating to public
hearings and Federal Register notifications are illustrated in the
accompanying diagram. Dates shown relative to publication of Federal
Register documents are target dates.
Sections of this and subsequent documents which outline hunting
frameworks and guidelines are organized under numbered headings. These
headings are:
1. Ducks
2. Sea Ducks
3. Mergansers
4. Canada Geese
5. White-fronted Geese
6. Brant
7. Snow and Ross's (Light) Geese
8. Swans
9. Sandhill Cranes
10. Coots
11. Moorhens and Gallinules
12. Rails
13. Snipe
14. Woodcock
15. Band-tailed Pigeons
16. Mourning Doves
17. White-winged and White-tipped Doves
18. Alaska
19. Hawaii
20. Puerto Rico
21. Virgin Islands
22. Falconry
23. Other
Later sections of this and subsequent documents will refer only to
numbered items requiring attention. Therefore, we will omit those items
requiring no attention and remaining numbered items will be
discontinuous and appear incomplete.
Public Hearings
Two public hearings pertaining to 1998-1999 migratory game bird
hunting regulations are scheduled. The Service will conduct both
hearings in accordance with 455 DM 1 of the Departmental Manual. On
June 25, the Service will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. in the
Auditorium of the Department of the Interior Building, 1849 C Street
NW., Washington, DC. This hearing will review the status of migratory
shore and upland game birds and discuss proposed hunting regulations
for these species plus regulations for migratory game birds in Alaska,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands; special September
waterfowl seasons in designated States; special sea duck seasons in the
Atlantic Flyway; extended falconry seasons; and proposed regulatory
alternatives for the 1998-99 duck hunting season. On August 6, the
Service will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. in the Auditorium of the
Department of the Interior Building, address above. This hearing will
review the status and proposed regulations for waterfowl not previously
discussed at the June 25 public hearing. The public is invited to
participate in both hearings. Persons wishing to make a statement at
these hearings should write to the address indicated under the caption
ADDRESSES.
Requests for Tribal Proposals
Background
Beginning with the 1985-86 hunting season, the Service has employed
guidelines described in the June 4, 1985, Federal Register (50 FR
23467) to establish special migratory bird hunting regulations on
Federal Indian reservations (including off-reservation trust lands) and
ceded lands. The Service developed these guidelines in response to
tribal requests for Service recognition of their reserved hunting
rights, and for some tribes, recognition of their authority to regulate
hunting by both tribal and nontribal members throughout their
reservations. The guidelines include possibilities for:
(1) on-reservation hunting by both tribal and nontribal members,
with hunting by nontribal members on some reservations to take place
within Federal frameworks, but on dates different from those selected
by the surrounding State(s);
(2) on-reservation hunting by tribal members only, outside of usual
Federal frameworks for season dates and length, and for daily bag and
possession limits; and
(3) off-reservation hunting by tribal members on ceded lands,
outside of usual framework dates and season length, with some added
flexibility in daily bag and possession limits.
In all cases, the regulations established under the guidelines
would have to be consistent with the annual March 10 to September 1
closed season mandated by the 1916 Convention Between the United States
and Great Britain (for Canada) for the Protection of Migratory Birds
(Convention). The guidelines are capable of application to those tribes
that have reserved hunting rights on Federal Indian reservations
(including off-reservation trust lands) and ceded lands. They also
apply to the establishment of migratory bird hunting regulations for
nontribal members on all lands within the exterior boundaries of
reservations where tribes have full wildlife management authority over
such hunting, or where the tribes and affected States otherwise have
reached agreement over hunting by nontribal members on non-Indian
lands.
Tribes usually have the authority to regulate migratory bird
hunting by nonmembers on Indian-owned reservation lands, subject to
Service approval. The question of jurisdiction is more complex on
reservations that include lands owned by non-Indians, especially when
the surrounding States have established or intend to establish
regulations governing hunting by non-Indians on these lands. In such
cases, the Service encourages the tribes and States to reach agreement
on regulations that would apply throughout the reservations. When
appropriate, the Service will consult with a tribe and State with the
aim of facilitating an accord. The Service also will consult jointly
with tribal and State officials in the affected States where tribes may
wish to establish special hunting regulations for tribal members on
ceded lands. As explained in previous rulemaking documents, it is
incumbent upon the tribe and/or the State to put forward a request for
consultation as a result of the proposal being published in the Federal
Register. The Service will not presume to make a determination, without
being advised by a tribe or a State, that any issue is/is not worthy of
formal consultation.
One of the guidelines provides for the continuation of harvest of
migratory game birds by tribal members on reservations where it is a
customary practice. The Service does not oppose this harvest, provided
it does not take place during the closed season required by the
Convention, and it is not so large as to adversely affect the status of
the migratory bird resource. For several years, the Service has reached
annual agreement with tribes for hunting by tribal members on their
lands or on lands where they have reserved hunting rights. The Service
will continue to consult with tribes that wish to reach a mutual
agreement on hunting regulations for on-reservation hunting by tribal
members.
The guidelines should not be viewed as inflexible. Nevertheless,
the Service believes that they provide appropriate opportunity to
accommodate the reserved hunting rights and management authority of
Indian tribes while ensuring that the migratory bird resource receives
necessary protection. The conservation of this important international
resource is paramount. Use of the guidelines is not required if a tribe
wishes to observe the hunting regulations established by the State(s)
in which the reservation is located.
[[Page 13750]]
Details Needed in Tribal Proposals
Tribes that wish to use the guidelines to establish special hunting
regulations for the 1998-99 hunting season must submit a proposal that
includes:
(1) the requested hunting season dates and other details regarding
regulations to be observed;
(2) harvest anticipated under the requested regulations;
(3) methods that will be employed to measure or monitor harvest
(mail-questionnaire survey, bag checks, etc.);
(4) steps that will be taken to limit level of harvest, where it
could be shown that failure to limit such harvest would seriously
impact the migratory bird resource; and
(5) tribal capabilities to establish and enforce migratory bird
hunting regulations.
A tribe that desires the earliest possible opening of the waterfowl
season should specify this in the proposal, rather than request a date
that might not be within the final Federal frameworks. Similarly,
unless a tribe wishes to set more restrictive regulations than Federal
regulations will permit, the proposal should request the same daily bag
and possession limits and season length for ducks and geese that
Federal regulations are likely to permit the States in the Flyway in
which the reservation is located.
Tribal Proposal Procedures
The Service will publish pertinent details in tribal proposals for
public review in later Federal Register documents. Because of the time
required for Service and public review, Indian tribes that desire
special migratory bird hunting regulations for the 1998-99 hunting
season should submit their proposals as soon as possible, but no later
than June 2, 1998. Tribes should direct inquiries regarding the
guidelines and proposals to the appropriate Service Regional Office
listed under the caption Supplementary Information. Tribes that request
special hunting regulations for tribal members on ceded lands should
send a courtesy copy of the proposal to officials in the affected
State(s).
Public Comments Solicited
The policy of the Department of the Interior is, whenever
practicable, to afford the public an opportunity to participate in the
rulemaking process. Accordingly, interested persons are invited to
submit written comments, suggestions, or recommendations regarding the
proposed regulations. Promulgation of final migratory game bird hunting
regulations will take into consideration all comments received by the
Service. Such comments, and any additional information received, may
lead to final regulations that differ from these proposals. Interested
persons are invited to participate in this rulemaking by submitting
written comments to the address indicated under the caption ADDRESSES.
The public may inspect comments received on the proposed annual
regulations during normal business hours at the Service's office in
room 634, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia. For each
series of proposed rulemakings, the Service will establish specific
comment periods. The Service will consider, but possibly may not
respond in detail to, each comment. As in the past, the Service will
summarize all comments received during the comment period and respond
to them after the closing date.
Flyway Council Meetings
Departmental representatives will be present at the following
winter meetings of the various Flyway Councils:
DATE: March 19 and 20, 1998
--Central Flyway Council, 8:00 a.m.
DATE: March 19 and 23, 1998
--National Waterfowl Council, 1:00 p.m.
DATE: March 20, 1998
--Atlantic Flyway Council, 8:00 a.m.
--Mississippi Flyway Council, 10:30 a.m.
DATE: March 21 and 22, 1998
--Pacific Flyway Council, 3:00 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively
The Council meetings will be held at the Omni Rosen Hotel, 9840
International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819-8122.
NEPA Consideration
NEPA considerations are covered by the programmatic document,
``Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Issuance of Annual
Regulations Permitting the Sport Hunting of Migratory Birds (FSES 88-
14),'' filed with the Environmental Protection Agency on June 9, 1988.
Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register on June
16, 1988 (53 FR 22582). The Service's Record of Decision was published
on August 18, 1988 (53 FR 31341). In addition, an August 1985
environmental assessment entitled ``Guidelines for Migratory Bird
Hunting Regulations on Federal Indian Reservations and Ceded Lands'' is
available from the Service at the address indicated under the caption
ADDRESSES.
Endangered Species Act Consideration
Prior to issuance of the 1998-99 migratory game bird hunting
regulations, the Service will consider provisions of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended, (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543; hereinafter the
Act) to ensure that hunting is not likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any species designated as endangered or threatened or
modify or destroy its critical habitat and is consistent with
conservation programs for those species. Consultations under Section 7
of this Act may cause the Service to change proposals in this and
future supplemental proposed rulemaking documents.
Executive Order (E.O.) 12866
This rule is economically significant and was reviewed by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under E.O. 12866.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
These regulations have a significant economic impact on substantial
numbers of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The economic impacts of the annual hunting
regulations on small business entities were analyzed in detail and a
Small Entity Flexibility Analysis (Analysis) was issued by the Service
in 1996. The Analysis documented the significant beneficial economic
effect on a substantial number of small entities. The primary source of
information about hunter expenditures for migratory game bird hunting
is the National Hunting and Fishing Survey, which is conducted at 5-
year intervals. The Analysis utilized the 1991 National Hunting and
Fishing Survey and the U.S. Department of Commerce's County Business
Patterns from which it was estimated that migratory bird hunters would
spend between $254 and $592 million at small businesses in 1996.
Copies of the Analysis are available upon request from the Office
of Migratory Bird Management. The address is indicated under the
caption ADDRESSES.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Department examined these regulations under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 and found no information collection requirements.
Unfunded Mandates
The Service has determined and certifies, in compliance with the
requirements of the Unfunded Mandates Act, 2 U.S.C. 1502 et seq., that
this rulemaking will not impose a cost of $100 million or more in any
given year on local or State government or private entities.
[[Page 13751]]
Civil Justice Reform--Executive Order 12988
The Department, in promulgating this proposed rule, has determined
that these regulations meet the applicable standards found in Sections
3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 20
Exports, Hunting, Imports, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Transportation, Wildlife.
The rules that eventually will be promulgated for the 1998-99
hunting season are authorized under 16 U.S.C. 703-711, 16 U.S.C. 712,
and 16 U.S.C. 742 a--j.
Dated: March 4, 1998
Donald Barry,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Proposed 1998-1999 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations
(Preliminary)
Pending current information on populations, harvest, and habitat
conditions, and receipt of recommendations from the four Flyway
Councils, specific framework proposals (including opening and closing
dates, seasons lengths, and bag limits) may be deferred. Unless
otherwise specified, no change from the final 1997-98 frameworks of
August 20 and September 26, 1997, (62 FR 44229 and 50660) is proposed.
Specific preliminary proposals that vary from the 1997-98 frameworks
and issues requiring early discussion, action, or the attention of the
States or tribes are contained below:
1. Ducks
A. Harvest Strategy Considerations
Adaptive harvest management (AHM) was introduced in 1995 to help
managers better understand the impacts of regulations on waterfowl
harvest and population levels. In addition, AHM is intended to provide:
(1) a more objective, better informed, and less contentious decision-
making process; (2) an explicitly defined role for monitoring programs
in setting regulations; and (3) a formal and coherent framework for
addressing controversial harvest-management issues.
Since 1995, the AHM process has focused primarily on midcontinent
mallards. However, there continues to be considerable interest in
accounting for mallards breeding eastward and westward of the
midcontinent region. The ultimate goal is to develop Flyway-specific
harvest strategies, which represent an average of optimal strategies
for each mallard breeding stock, weighted by the relative contribution
of each stock to the respective Flyways. The Service and States also
have expressed interest in extending the AHM protocol to other
important species such as pintails, teal, and black ducks.
Harvest strategies that account for important biological
differences in duck stocks are expected to yield the highest management
benefits, but also are characterized by relatively high monitoring and
assessment costs. Thus, the Service believes objective assessments of
the tradeoff in costs and benefits are necessary for deciding when the
AHM protocol should be extended to various duck stocks. Preliminary
investigations using the tools of decision-theory suggest that
management benefits may be less sensitive to biological differences in
duck stocks than commonly believed. If so, cost considerations will
motivate managers to implement AHM strategies based explicitly on just
a few stocks (e.g., western, midcontinent, and eastern mallards).
Determining the degree to which AHM strategies should account for
important sources of biological variation is an incredibly difficult
challenge, and one that will require considerable effort and focus by
the AHM Working Group. The AHM Working Group is comprised of
representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the four
Flyway Councils, and the Canadian Wildlife Service and was established
in 1992 to assist with implementation of AHM. The working group
continues to meet at least once a year to pursue AHM conceptual
development and to consider technical and communication issues for the
current regulatory cycle.
The Service believes requests for further changes to the set of
regulatory alternatives established in 1997 likely would delay
extension of AHM to stocks other than midcontinent mallards. Therefore,
future proposals to change the regulatory alternatives will be viewed
critically and reasons for change should be compelling. This means that
proposals should enjoy broad-based support and should be accompanied by
strong rationale, including a recognition of impacts on both harvest
and learning rates, as well as on other AHM priorities.
B. Framework dates
During 1997 the Service attempted to address concerns about the set
of regulatory alternatives that had been used for AHM since the 1995
hunting season. Based on extensive input from the Flyway Councils and
others, the regulatory alternatives considered for the 1997 season were
modified to include: (1) a ``very restrictive'' alternative; (2)
additional days and a higher total-duck daily bag limit in the
``moderate'' and ``liberal'' alternatives; and (3) an increase in the
bag limit of hen mallards in the ``moderate'' and ``liberal''
alternatives. No changes were made to the traditional framework dates
of roughly October 1 to January 20.
The Service received extensive public comment both supporting and
opposing extensions of traditional framework dates. By August of last
year, the issue had became highly divisive and politically-charged.
Ultimately, the Service was directed by the U.S. Congress to review
existing information on framework extensions and to consult further
with the States and International Association of Fish & Wildlife
Agencies.
Following the guidance provided by Congress, the Service has
prepared a summary of the effects of framework extensions in
Mississippi and Iowa, and of predicted impacts of large-scale framework
extensions on the regulation of mallard harvests. Available data
generally reflect increases in the harvest of most duck species due to
framework extensions in Mississippi and Iowa, although the magnitude of
the increases could not be estimated precisely. Based on these results,
large-scale extensions of framework dates could decrease the frequency
of years with liberal regulations from 70 to 15 percent, while
increasing the frequency of years with restrictive regulations from 11
to 42 percent. The Service's report is now available to the Flyway
Councils, States, and public for further consultation.
G. Special Seasons/Species Management
i. Canvasbacks
The Service continues to support the canvasback harvest strategy
adopted in 1994. Last year, the Service noted its intent to review
recent data and assess how well observed harvests and population
abundance were predicted by the strategy (62 FR 50662). The assessment
is nearing completion, and will be available for review by the Flyway
Technical Sections at their meetings during February and March, 1998.
ii. September Teal/Wood Duck Seasons
These experimental seasons have been held in Florida, Kentucky, and
Tennessee since 1981. The Service has consistently stated that
continuation of September wood duck seasons is contingent on the
development of regional wood duck population monitoring programs, as
well as evaluation and decision criteria for these seasons. The final
report of the
[[Page 13752]]
``Wood Duck Population Monitoring Initiative'' (Initiative) completed
in July 1997 indicated that monitoring programs at geographic scales
below the flyway level are not meeting requisite sample sizes.
Therefore, harvest management strategies aimed at scales below the
flyway level likely is not feasible.
An evaluation of September wood duck seasons was recently completed
and a draft report will be made available to the Atlantic and
Mississippi Flyway Councils for their review during February 1998.
Results from the evaluation indicate that estimates of population
parameters for individual states are usually imprecise, which often
precludes drawing meaningful conclusions. In light of these results, as
well as those from the Initiative, the Service may propose suspension
of September wood duck seasons this year.
2. Sea Ducks
A. Special Sea Duck Seasons in the Atlantic Flyway
At the request of the Atlantic Flyway Council, the Service has
investigated the effects of bag limit restrictions on scoters that were
initiated in the Atlantic Flyway in 1993. In addition, the Service has
reviewed other features of this special season and the biological
status of sea ducks in eastern North America. A draft report, titled
``Status of Sea Ducks in Eastern North America and a Review of the
Special Sea Duck Season in the Atlantic Flyway'' will be available from
the Office of Migratory Bird Management by late-February, 1998. This
report recommends consideration of several changes to sea duck hunting
seasons in the Atlantic Flyway, including changes to sea duck hunting
zones, bag limits, and season lengths. The Service seeks from the
Atlantic Flyway Council and others comments on the draft report,
consideration of changes to sea duck seasons in 1998 in the Atlantic
Flyway, and progress toward development of management goals for sea
ducks.
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