Methods developed over the years and applied systematically supply
information which is necessary to intelligent management. Breeding pair
and brood surveys indicate the distribution of nesting populations, and
their success from year to year in hatching and raising their broods of
young. The banding of waterfowl, carefully aged, sexed, and released,
gives specific information on the travels of individual birds, on
mortality, and on some phases of hunting pressure. Periodic air-counts
in late summer and fall serve to measure, in a rough way, the
distribution of different species during southward migration, and the
rate of movement. Hunter-bag checks, carried out in the field during the
shooting season, complement fall counts with regard to distribution at
given points. A post-season sampling of hunter success, by mail,
supplies data on additional aspects of hunting pressure, and gives an
index of total kill. Finally, the annual winter count indicates the
distribution and relative size of populations remaining after the
shooting season ends. In combination, these methods are steadily
increasing our knowledge of North American waterfowl, and in particular
are providing the sort of “running inventory” which is the first
requirement for intelligent management of this resource.
The Central Flyway Council is the clearing house for coordinated
planning in this Flyway. It is a delegate organization, including in its
membership administrative and technical representatives from the fish
and game departments of all states and provinces in the flyway. A Flyway
Representative has been assigned from the Fish and Wildlife Service.
This group is concerned with all phases of waterfowl research and
management in the flyway. The Central Flyway Council provides for an
effective interchange of information between member agencies and assists
in the coordination and integration of flyway management programs. These
purposes have been furthered by regular meetings for the open discussion
of flyway problems.