Quiero saber acerca de...

tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS2

10628

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 33 / Monday, February 22, 2021 / Proposed Rule
waterfowl AHM protocol see above did not specifically address bag limits for mallards. The number of breeding mallards in the northeastern United States about two-thirds of the eastern mallard population in 1998 has decreased by about 38 percent since 1998, and the overall population has declined by about 1 percent per year during that time period. This situation has resulted in reduced harvest potential for that population. The Service conducted a Prescribed Take Level PTL analysis to estimate the allowable take kill rate for eastern mallards, and compared that with the expected kill rate under the most liberal season length 60 days considered as part of the eastern waterfowl AHM
regulatory alternatives.
Using contemporary data and assuming a management objective of maximum long-term sustainable harvest, the PTL analysis estimated an allowable kill rate of 0.1940.198. The expected kill rate for eastern mallards under a 60-day season and a 2-mallard daily bag limit in the U.S. portion of the Atlantic Flyway was 0.193 SE = 0.016, which is slightly below but not significantly different from the point estimate of allowable kill at maximum long-term sustainable harvest. This indicates that a 2-bird daily bag limit is sustainable at this time.
Regarding the Central Flyway Councils evaluation plan for a two-tier regulations system, we earlier noted our intent to approve the Central Flyway Councils recommendation for a limited two-tier regulations system in selected States to assess impacts to hunters and duck harvests during the 202122
season as published in the Federal Register 85 FR 51857, August 21, 2020. In October 2019, the Service tasked Division of Migratory Bird Management staff to work with the Flyway Councils to develop a team to address the components needed in an evaluation, and to have a draft evaluation plan that is supported by both the Division of Migratory Bird Management and the Flyway Councils ready for review prior to the spring 2020
SRC meeting. The Service concludes that completing National Environmental Policy Act compliance, developing shared objectives, identifying appropriate metrics for evaluation, potentially modifying monitoring efforts, and addressing law enforcement concerns are important elements to consider before implementing a limited two-tier regulations system for evaluation. The elements of the evaluation plan will be addressed in an MOA between the Service and the two States, which will outline the roles and
VerDate Sep<11>2014

20:28 Feb 19, 2021

Jkt 253001

responsibilities of each partner in the agreement.
We appreciate the work that the Flyway Councils and the Division have completed to finalize an evaluation plan for the first year of a two-tier regulation study for duck harvests. The group has completed the work we requested last October, and therefore we support moving forward with the study beginning with the 202122 season. The study will allow different speciesspecific and overall bag limits for each of the two license types. We encourage the Central Flyway and the Division to review information collected during the first season and as the study progresses.
The goal of the data collection is to determine whether improvement of collection methods is necessary or appropriate, and to assess possible enforcement issues faced by conservation officers from two-tier regulations.
4. Canada and Cackling Geese B. Regular Seasons Council Recommendations: The Mississippi Flyway Council recommended increasing the daily bag limit for Canada and cackling geese from 3 to 5 geese in the aggregate in the Mississippi Flyway. The Pacific Flyway Council recommended decreasing the daily bag limit for Canada and cackling geese from 6 to 4 geese in the aggregate in Oregons Northwest Permit Zone.
Service Response: We agree with the Mississippi Flyway Councils recommendation to increase the daily bag limit for Canada and cackling geese from 3 to 5 geese in the aggregate for the entire 107-day season. The Councils technical assessment suggests that this change will maintain the harvest rate for subarctic Canada and cackling goose breeding populations at or below 11
percent, which serves as a decision threshold between liberal and standard frameworks in the Mississippi Flyway Councils management plan. If operational monitoring for subarctic Canada and cackling goose populations is not conducted during spring and summer 2021 due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, we will discuss with the Mississippi Flyway Council the appropriate daily bag limit for the subsequent season due to the lack of monitoring information.
We also agree with the Pacific Flyway Councils recommendation to decrease the daily bag limit for Canada and cackling geese from 6 to 4 geese in the aggregate in Oregons Northwest Permit Zone. The most recently available 3-year average predicted fall population estimate 201719 for minima cackling
PO 00000

Frm 00008

Fmt 4701

Sfmt 4702

geese is 235,137, which is near the lower end of the Councils population objective of 250,000 10 percent 225,000275,000. The decrease in bag limit is specifically intended to maintain objective abundance of minima cackling geese, and is consistent with the Councils harvest strategy for these birds. Also, the bag limit for Canada and cackling geese of 4 per day in the aggregate in Oregons Northwest Permit Zone will simplify regulations by matching the 4-bird bag limit currently allowed for Canada and cackling geese in the aggregate in the basic season framework for Oregon and the Pacific Flyway.
6. Brant Council Recommendations: The Atlantic Flyway Council recommended that the Service discontinue use of the harvest strategy for Atlantic brant adopted by the Service in 2015 for setting annual Atlantic brant hunting regulations. The Atlantic Flyway Council also recommended frameworks with a 50-day season and a 2-bird daily bag limit for Atlantic brant in the Atlantic Flyway for the 202122 season.
The Pacific Flyway Council recommended that the 202021 brant season frameworks be determined based on the harvest strategy in the Councils management plan for the Pacific population of brant pending results of the 2021 Winter Brant Survey WBS. If results of the 2021 WBS are not available, results of the most recent WBS should be used.
Service Response: We agree with the Atlantic Flyway Councils recommendation to discontinue use of the harvest strategy for Atlantic brant adopted by the Service in 2015 for establishing Atlantic brant season frameworks. As we discussed in the March 28, 2016, Federal Register 81 FR
17302, we adopted in 2015 the Atlantic Flyway Councils harvest strategy to determine the Atlantic brant season frameworks. In developing the annual proposed frameworks for Atlantic brant, the Atlantic Flyway Council and the Service used the number of brant counted during the Midwinter Waterfowl Survey MWS in the Atlantic Flyway to determine annual allowable season length and daily bag limits. The MWS is conducted each January, which is after the date that proposed frameworks are formulated in the regulatory process. However, the data were typically available by the expected publication of final frameworks. When we acquired the survey data, we determined the appropriate allowable harvest for the Atlantic brant season according to the
E:FRFM22FEP2.SGM

22FEP2