MANAGING NORTH-AMERICAN WATERFOWL IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY

Informed management of waterfowl (or any animal population) requires m anagement goals and objectives, the ability to implement management ac tions, periodic information about population and goal-related variable s, and knowledge of effects of management actions on population and go al-related variables. In North America, international treaties mandate a primary objective of protecting migratory bird populations, with a secondary objective of providing hunting opportunity in a manner compa tible with such protection. Through the years, annual establishment of hunting regulations and acquisition and management of habitat have be en the primary management actions taken by federal agencies. Various i nformation-gathering programs were established and, by the 1960s, had developed into arguably the best monitoring system in the world for co ntinentally distributed animal populations. Retrospective analyses usi ng estimates from this monitoring system have been used to investigate effects of management actions on waterfowl population and harvest dyn amics, but key relationships are still characterized by uncertainty. W e recommend actively adaptive management as an approach that can meet short-term harvest objectives, while reducing uncertainty and ensuring sustainable populations over the long-term.