Migratory Bird Hunting Frameworks Proposed for 2015-2016

[Cara J]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the final early and proposed late season migratory bird hunting regulation frameworks for the 2015-2016 season. These guidelines are issued as part of a cooperative state and federal effort for the effective management of migratory birds. These announcements provide the framework by which each state establishes and manages their own migratory bird hunting seasons. Hunting plays a vital role in the effective management and conservation of migratory birds. FWS surveys in 2011 found that 2.6 million hunters, 19% of all hunters, pursued migratory birds and spent over $1.8 billion that year through trip-related and equipment expenditures. A large portion of this money went directly to migratory birds, wildlife, and habitat conservation through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which levees an excise tax on hunting equipment to fund conservation efforts, and the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act, which requires migratory bird hunters to purchase a Duck Stamp that funds the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The Duck Stamp alone has raised over $800 million since its passage in 1934 and contributed to the protection of over 6 million acres of wetland. FWS establishes its hunting regulation frameworks on biological principles [...]

 

Read more: http://wildlife.org/migratory-bird-hunting-frameworks-proposed-for-2015-2016/