Atlantic Flyway

The Atlantic Flyway harbors three populations of Canada geese: Atlantic Canada geese (AP geese), North Atlantic Canada geese (NAP geese), and resident Canada geese (established through release programs). Most AP geese breed on Quebec 's Ungava Peninsula and winter near Chesapeake Bay, while NAP geese nest in Newfoundland and Labrador. Resident Canada geese breed and winter throughout the Atlantic Flyway.

The story of Canada geese in the Atlantic Flyway exemplifies the challenges faced by goose managers across the United States and Canada. It also reveals how managers have dealt with the complexities of goose harvest. The location of the “goose hunting capital of the world” is now open to debate, but in the 1970s and 1980s, that flag was firmly planted on Maryland 's Eastern Shore. Back then, most birds using Chesapeake Bay were part of the Atlantic population of Canada geese, the largest Canada goose population in North America at that time.

Prior to the 1990s, the population status of AP geese was determined from winter counts. But goose managers began to notice a disturbing trend in the late 1980s, when winter counts of geese in the Chesapeake region began to decline steadily. Fewer geese were turning up, even though spring counts of resident Canada geese in the Atlantic Flyway had increased from 400,000 birds in 1989 to nearly 800,000 birds by 1995. Many of these residents wintered alongside AP geese, yet winter counts of geese in traditional AP areas had declined by 40 percent.

Goose managers began to suspect that hunters were taking too many AP geese. The problem was that growing numbers of resident geese had masked the AP decline, which delayed changes in hunting regulations. Back in 1988, biologists conducted the first survey of nesting AP geese. The survey was an accurate measure of AP birds because no resident Canadas were present. The 1988 survey found 118,000 nesting pairs of geese. Recognizing the need to get an accurate estimate of AP birds, managers began annual breeding surveys of AP geese in 1993. Despite changes in hunting regulations, goose numbers in 1993 were down to 91,000 nesting pairs. The decline continued, and by 1995, only 29,000 pairs of nesting AP geese could be found. At that point, the season was closed.

Even today, it is hard to overestimate the disappointment many felt when hunting of AP geese ceased. But managers took two crucial steps that led to the birds' recovery. First, they recognized that resident Canada geese had muddied the waters and that breeding ground counts were necessary to track AP numbers accurately. Second, they established a breeding population objective that would help guide harvest management. In 2003, biologists counted 175,000 nesting pairs of AP geese, the highest on record.

This year, hunters on Maryland's Eastern Shore will enjoy an expanded 45-day season and two-goose limit. “Managers continue to closely monitor AP harvest rates with the goal of having a long-term sustainable harvest,” said Larry Hindman, Maryland's waterfowl project manager who has been at the center of AP management for several years. Happily, he also mentioned that an early spring in Quebec had led to a great nesting year for AP birds. Once again the geese are back.

Mississippi Flyway

Biologists manage five populations of Canada geese in the Mississippi Flyway: the Eastern Prairie (EPP), Southern James Bay (SJBP), Mississippi Valley (MVP), Tallgrass Prairie (TGP), and the giant Canada goose population (residents). Except for giants, all these populations breed in the eastern Arctic. Birds from the TGP winter in both the Mississippi and Central flyways, and management responsibility for these geese is shared between the regions.

Goose management in the Mississippi Flyway historically focused on EPP, SJBP, and MVP geese. These birds traditionally wintered at a handful of refuges like Swan Lake, Missouri, where most of the EPP congregated. As a result, winter counts could be used to reliably monitor population changes. In 1969, biologists counted 600,000 wintering Canada geese throughout the flyway. Less than 10 percent of these birds were giant Canada geese. During the 1960s, hunters in the Mississippi Flyway harvested about 145,000 Canada geese per year.

By 2002, nearly 2.5 million Canada geese were surveyed during winter in the Mississippi Flyway, almost half of which were giants. At the same time, harvest of Canada geese in the flyway had increased sixfold. Although growing numbers of giants have dramatically increased hunting opportunities in the flyway, they have also brought unforeseen consequences. Giants now mix with migrant Canada geese throughout the Mississippi Flyway, and winter counts are no longer a reliable means for tracking changes in EPP, SJBP, and MVP geese. As a result, biologists now monitor these populations using counts from the breeding grounds.