Evolution of harvest management for North American waterfowl: selective pressures and preadaptations for adaptive harvest management

摘要

In 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service introduced an adaptive approach to the establishment of hunting regulations for mid-continent mallard ducks. The use of this approach, known as adaptive harvest management (AHM), has continued for mid-continent mallards and is being considered for use with other mallard populations, as well as with other North American ducks and even geese. In this paper, I briefly discuss the history of waterfowl management in North America, focusing on events that appear to have been influential in producing changes in management approaches and that eventually led to the adoption of AHM. Throughout this historical review, I view duck harvest management as a system undergoing evolutionary change. From an evolutionary perspective, the reasons underlying these changes can be viewed as selective pressures. Some components of past management have been especially conducive to the adoption of AHM and can be viewed as preadptations facilitating the implementation of the approach.