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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 33 / Monday, February 22, 2021 / Proposed Rule
grandfathered status. The current guidelines indicate that only minor less than a county in size boundary changes will be allowed for any grandfathered arrangement. Although this is not a boundary change, the transfer of the split to a different, existing zone is simply a reconfiguration of the grandfathered zone and split structure, and the change is expected to have negligible impacts to duck population status and harvest. However, because the intent of zone and split regulations is not to affect harvest distribution, the State of Alaska will be required to provide the Service with an evaluation of impacts to duck harvest and hunter dynamics e.g., hunter numbers, hunter success, hunter satisfaction, etc. during the fixed five-year period it is implemented e.g., 202125 period, and are encouraged to involve a human dimensions specialist in the assessment.
This review should assist the Service in ascertaining whether major undesirable changes in harvest occurred or hunter participation improved as a result of the regulation change.

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D. Special Seasons/Species Management i. September Teal Seasons Because a spring 2020 abundance estimate from the WBPHS for bluewinged teal was not available, we used time series models to predict their abundance. The predicted estimate was 5.83 million birds. Because this estimate is greater than 4.7 million birds, the teal season guidelines indicate that a 16-day special September teal season with a 6teal daily bag limit is appropriate for States in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central flyways. Further, the guidelines indicate that in Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, in lieu of a 16-day special September teal season, a 5-day special September tealwood duck season with a daily bag limit of 6 birds in the aggregate, of which no more than 2 may be wood ducks, is appropriate. In addition, a 4-day special September teal season with a 6-teal daily bag limit, either immediately before or immediately after the 5-day tealwood duck season, is appropriate.
Council Recommendations: The Mississippi Flyway Council recommended that Minnesota be allowed to conduct an experimental special September teal season for a 3year period beginning in 2021 or 2022
following the framework for all other States in the Mississippi Flyway.
Service Response: As we described in the August 28, 2014, Federal Register 79 FR 51402, the Flyway Councils and Service completed a thorough
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assessment of the harvest potential for teal blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon, as well as an assessment of the impacts of current special September seasons on these three species. The assessment indicated that additional hunting opportunity could be provided for teal. Therefore, we supported recommendations from the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyway Councils to establish new hunting seasons e.g., September teal seasons in northern States and expanded hunting opportunities e.g., season lengths, bag limits in States with existing teal seasons. Further, we confirmed that we were willing to consider proposals to conduct experimental September teal seasons in northern production States if fully evaluated for impacts to teal and nontarget species. We also provided criteria for evaluation of these experimental seasons. Thus, we agree with the Mississippi Flyway Councils recommendation to allow an experimental special September teal season in Minnesota beginning in 2020
or 2021.
We earlier approved a 3-year experimental season in Minnesota beginning in 2014. However, Minnesota opted out of the experiment at that time.
The criteria established in 2014
regarding the experimental season and transition to operational status will again apply see 79 FR 51403, August 28, 2014. In addition, we clarify that criteria for operational status must be met by Minnesotas experimental season results alone, and not in combination with data from other States. We will work with Minnesota to develop an evaluation plan and associated memorandum of agreement MOA for this experiment detailing the required sample sizes, decision criteria for the experimental season to become operational, and roles and responsibilities. The plan will consist of a 3-year evaluation of hunter performance via spy blind studies with regard to attempt and kill rates on nontarget species during the experimental September teal season.
ii. September TealWood Duck Seasons Using band-recovery data for birds banded in summer and fall 2019 and harvested during the 201920 hunting season, we estimated kill rates for adult male wood ducks in the eastern United States to be 0.112 range-wide and 0.119 northern birds only. These values are below those in which analyses suggest bag limit restrictions may be needed range-wide = 0.166;
northern birds = 0.143. These results, combined with the predicted blue-

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winged teal estimate reported above indicate a 5-day September tealwood duck season with a daily bag limit of 6
birds in the aggregate, of which no more than 2 may be wood ducks, is appropriate in Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee for the 202122 season.
iii. Black Ducks Council Recommendations: The Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway Councils recommended continued use of the AHM protocol for black ducks, and adoption of the moderate regulatory alternative for their respective flyways.
The Flyway-specific regulations consist of a daily bag limit of two black ducks and a season length of 60 days.
Service Response: The Service, Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway Councils, and Canada adopted an international AHM protocol for black ducks in 2012 77 FR 49868; August 17, 2012 whereby we set black duck hunting regulations for the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways and Canada based on the status and demographics of these birds. The AHM protocol clarifies country-specific target harvest levels, and reduces conflicts over regulatory policies.
For the 202122 hunting season, we evaluated country-specific alternative harvest regulations using: 1 A
management objective of 98 percent of maximum long-term sustainable harvest; 2 country-specific regulatory alternatives; and 3 current population models and associated weights. Based on the moderate regulatory alternative selected for the 202021 hunting season and the 2020 model predictions of 0.50
million breeding black ducks and 0.39
million breeding mallards Federal WBPHS strata 51, 52, 63, 64, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, and 72; core survey area, the optimal regulation for the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways is the moderate alternative and the liberal alternative in Canada. Therefore, we concur with the recommendations of the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway Councils.
iv. Canvasbacks Council Recommendations: The Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific Flyway Councils recommended adoption of the liberal regulatory alternative for their respective flyways.
The Flyway-specific regulations consist of a daily bag limit of two canvasbacks and a season length of 60 days in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74
days in the Central Flyway, and 107
days in the Pacific Flyway.
Service Response: As we discussed in the March 28, 2016, Federal Register 81 FR 17302, the canvasback harvest strategy that we had relied on until 2015

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