1. Prepared by: Melanie Weaver, Waterfowl Program Lead Prepared for: Fish and Game Commission Meeting August 5, 2015 Agenda Item 29 2015-2016 Status of Waterfowl, Habitats and Hunting Recommendations

2. Brief background on “waterfowl” Brief summary of process of population assessment and overarching approach to regulation setting Current status of habitats Current status of waterfowl populations Specific regulation recommendations

3. Primary wintering grounds in Pacific Flyway “Waterfowl” not 1 species: 8 goose populations from Russia, Alaska, Canada, all western states 28 duck species from Canada, all western states Stakeholders are not just Californians A shared resource and managed at a Flyway scale Alaska natives Other states Federal government But individual states can adopt more restrictive regulations

4. USFWS, CWS, CA and many other states Methodologies consistent and peer reviewed Monitor most species, but mallards “key stone” Longest running, most comprehensive wildlife survey CA survey conducted since 1948, redesigned 1992 USFWS and CWS conducted since 1955

5. Scope of the USFWS - CWS annual waterfowl survey

7. USFWS sets “frameworks” annually based on current year data and analyses Today DFW is recommending 2015-16 regulations But for the 2016-17 regulations Frameworks based on predicted populations Product of USFWS EIS Request to Notice in December, 2015 FGC Adoption in April, 2016 “Frameworks” Maximum season length/bag limits Earliest open and latest closing dates Migratory Bird Treaty Act limits hunting to 107 days

8. For ducks: annual breeding population surveys For Pacific Flyway: AK, OR and CA About to add British Columbia and Washington Harvest rates (from banded ducks) State of the art modeling framework Harvest objective: sustainable harvest over the long term For geese: Annual goose surveys Annual harvest surveys

9. Mallards drive the general duck regulations Generally most abundant duck (population and harvest) Life history characteristics similar to most other species Separate harvest strategies for pintail, scaup, canvasback Mid-continent mallards used prior to 2008 Relied solely on USFWS – CWS survey (prairies) In 2008, Western Mallard model adopted Uses western state data explicitly Historically, mallards more productive in west

10. Local stocks (AK, CA-OR) rather than midcontinent Harvest strategy more responsive to local conditions Conservative model < maximum sustained yield updates annually Based on population growth rate and harvest rates Incorporates statistical uncertainty Implemented through 4 regulatory options: Liberal, Moderate, Restrictive and Closed Varying season lengths and bag limits Model prescribes an optimal regulatory option given objective

13. Continental Ducks (all species): similar to last year (record high) Mallard & Green-wings = record high Pintail, Canvasback, Scaup = no change Pacific Flyway mallards: CA record low, unchanged in OR, down in AK All but 2 goose populations over objective Federal frameworks for ducks are liberal except Scaup

14. Current StatusGoal N CA Canada geese No survey1,250 Cackling Canada geese 311,100250,000 Aleutian Canada geese 189,11060,000 Black Brant 157,700162,000 Pacific Whitefront geese 565,400300,000 Snow geese (Russia) 185,000120,000 Snow geese (Canada) 434,000200,000 Ross’ geese 770,000100,000 Goose Population Status

15. Western Mallards Alaska California Oregon

17. Anticipate reduced wetland & agriculture habitats Size of reduction currently unknown Timing of water deliveries currently unknown Water availability differs within hunting zones Hunting seasons = incentive for creating habitat >65% wetland habitat in CA is privately owned

18. Recommendations

19. 100-105 day seasons Varies by zone 7/day, no more than: 7 mallards, 2 hens 2 pintail 2 canvasback (increase of 1/day) 2 redheads 3 scaup/86 days

21. NE Zone: Oct 10 – Jan 22 (105 days) Scaup: Oct 10 – Dec 6 (58 days) & Dec 26 – Jan 22 (28 days) BOS, SSJV, So CA Zones: Oct 24 – Jan 31 (100 days) Scaup: Nov 7 – Jan 31 (86 days) CO River Zone: Oct 16 – Jan 24 (101 days) Scaup: Oct 31 – Jan 24 (86 days) Must match AZ regulations

22. 100 – 107 day seasons Varies by zone Generally 25/day 15 white geese 10 dark geese Brant 2/day Zone/Special Management Area regulations – no changes

23. Increase season length from 30 to 37 days 3-yr midwinter survey average exceeds 135,000 Flyway management plan allows increase in harvest at this level May result in an additional 200 to 500 brant harvested Recommendation: Northern Brant: Nov 8 – Dec 14 Balance of State Brant: Nov 9 – Dec 15

24. Regular Season Dark geese: Oct 10 – Jan 17 (100 days) White geese: Nov 7 – Jan 17 (72 days) OR Oct 24 – Jan 3 (72 days) Late Season White geese: Feb 7 – Mar 10 (33 days) Whitefronts: Mar 6 – Mar 10 (5 days) 25/day: 15 white and 10 dark geese, no more than 2 Large Canada geese

25. Early Season Canada geese Oct 3 – Oct 7 (5 days) Regular Season (all geese) Oct 24 – Jan 31( 100 days) Late Season Whitefronts & white geese: Feb 13 – Feb 17 (5 days) 25/day: 15 white and 10 dark geese

26. SSJV Zone: Oct 24 – Jan 31 (100 days) 25/day: 15 white and 10 dark geese So CA Zone: Oct 24 – Jan 31 (100 days) 18/day: 15 white and 3 dark geese CO River Zone: Oct 16 – Jan 24 (101days) 10/day: up to 10 white and 4 dark geese CA must match AZ adjacent zone

27. North Coast Special Management Area Regular Season: Nov 8 – Jan 31 (85 days) Late Season: Feb 20 – Mar 10 (20 days) Sac Valley Special Management Area Oct 24 – Dec 21 (59 days) Imperial Valley Special Management Area Regular Season: Nov 7 – Jan 31 (86 days) Late Season: Feb 6 – Feb 21 (16 days) Youth Hunt Days NE Zone 14 days prior, 2 days All other zones 7 days after, 2 days Falconry – no change

28. Contact: Melanie Weaver, Waterfowl Program Lead melanie.weaver@wildlife.ca.gov (916) 445-3717 Photo by Chris Nicolai

29. 32 day late season hunt started in 2013-14 Private lands only Modeled after North Coast and Imperial Special Management areas Established as a tool to alleviate goose depredation Basin refuges have minimal harvest of white geese in October, hunting tool needs to be available in Jan for spring return

30. 18 Type C areas 12 dominated by sagebrush or conifers 4 dominated by riparian habitat 2 dominated by seasonal wetlands Hunting opportunity low for geese

34. Breeding population 20% below last year and 34% below LTA – lowest estimate on record Mallards banded in CA = high % of CA mallard harvest Higher proportion of ducks shot early are local Should limits be reduced? Most hunters do not achieve daily bag limits

35.   Bag 1: range of 47% - 56%   Bag 2: range of 23.2% – 23.4%   Bag 3: range of 10% - 12%   Bag 7: range of 2% - 3%   Conclusion: to protect mallards without reducing season length, bag limit would have to be reduced substantially

38. What reduction in daily bag limit equates to a 14 day season length reduction? 100 day seasons (1996-2011) average harvest = 315,000 100 day season (2012) = 243,000 100 day season (2013) = 128,000 86 day season (1984) = 265,000 -Bag limit in 1984 was 5, not 7 -Excluding 2002 and 2004 Need a 15% reduction in harvest to obtain moderate season harvest

39. 100 day seasons (1996-2011) avg = 315,000 100 day season (2012) = 243,000 100 day season (2013) = 128,000 100 day season (2014) = 106,370 2013-14 = overall decline in duck harvest

44. NE Zone: Oct 10 – Jan 3 BOS, So CA, SSJV zones: Nov 7 – Jan 31 Co R Zone: Must match Arizona Goose seasons remain 100+ days

45. NE Zone: Oct 10 – Oct 18 (9) & Oct 27 – Jan 11 (77) BOS, So CA, SSJV Zones: Oct 24 - CO R Zone: Must match Arizona Goose seasons remain 100+ days

46. 2012 = 243,467 2013 = 127,977 2014 = 106,370 Most species declined in harvest in 2014

47. States discuss options at flyway meetings Goose discussions largely dominate Framework changes require approval at 3 levels Subcommittee, full committee (technical) level and council (policy) level Flyway forwards recommendations to Service Service establishes framework States set regs (FGC role) Must be within framework

48. Team approach State and federal management agencies Systematic process for making objective decisions Technical Group Deliberation of System Dynamics Policy Guiding Document or Body Development of harvest objectives Routine check-in with Flyway Councils