Report outlines new Canadian migratory bird regulations

[Cara J]

The Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) has released a report of recent changes to the country’s Migratory Bird Regulations for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. The ECCC manages migratory game birds under the Migratory Bird Convention Act, a complement to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States. The Canadian regulatory process requires proposals for hunting regulations to be finalized by the end of February and passed into law in June, with reports of the changes released in July. The changes vary between provinces, but one of the most common adjustments are increases to the daily bag limits for American black ducks (Anas rupripes). This species is managed under the American Black Duck International Harvest Strategy, an agreement between CWS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that was adopted in 2012. A “liberal” management regime was adopted across most areas, which allows for a 30 percent increase in harvest limits over the 1997-2010 mean levels. The liberal strategy will also be implemented for the 2019-2020 season in several provinces. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick the daily bag limit was increased to six black ducks for most [...]

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