HYDE-SMITH INTRODUCES BILL TO REVERSE DUCK POPULATION DECLINE

HYDE-SMITH INTRODUCES BILL TO REVERSE DUCK POPULATION DECLINE

Miss. Senator Says Measure Will Secure Larger Fall Flights for Future Hunting Seasons

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would help reverse the alarming decline in duck populations by creating incentives to improve the quantity and quality of breeding habitat.

The Habitat Enhancement Now (HEN) Act (S.2315) authorizes additional tools and practices to improve the nesting success of hen ducks. The bill was written in response to a string of below average fall flights of ducks for Mississippi and elsewhere, leaving duck hunters looking for answers. U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) will sponsor a House companion bill.

"Effective reproduction rates are essential to the long-term sustainability of any species, especially ducks. Populations will continue to decline if hens continue to lose their nests to predation and/or lack of adequate habitat. We have to reverse this trend," Hyde-Smith said. "The HEN Act is a common-sense step toward increasing the odds of ducks having successful hatches."

In order to sustain more healthy waterfowl populations, the HEN Act would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue grants to state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and individuals to incentivize the construction and installation of hen houses, establish nesting cover, create or restore brood ponds, and other conservation enhancements in the primary nesting grounds of the majority of North American ducks.

The loss of wetlands and nesting cover in key breeding grounds, drought, and predation are all factors that affect duck populations, and ultimately the number of ducks that hunters see each fall and winter. In fact, June surveys from the North Dakota Game and Fish showed mallard breeding populations down 26 percent, the lowest estimates since the early 1990s.

Duck populations are largely driven by events on the breeding ground, including the availability of wetlands and grasslands, nest success, hen success, and duckling survival. Overall, nest success is known to be the single greatest factor influencing mallard populations.

Research has shown that hen houses, a type of cylindrical nesting structure installed in prairie potholes, have use rates of greater than 60 percent, and result in an 80 percent average nest success. This is significantly higher than the often-observed nest success for mallards nesting on the ground, often below 10 percent.

Estimates indicate that the HEN Act, if fully implemented, could result in the production of an additional 100,000 mallards per year. Those ducks will end up in the Mississippi and Central Flyways each winter, directly benefiting Mississippi timber holes, brakes, and flooded fields.

The measure is supported by Delta Waterfowl.

"We greatly appreciate Senator Hyde-Smith's leadership and introduction of the HEN Act as an additional tool to increase duck production for the benefit of duck hunters in Mississippi and all across the United States. The HEN Act will harness new tools with demonstrated ability to cost-effectively boost the fall flight-tools like Hen Houses which have been proven to significantly increase mallard nest success and production," said Jason Tharpe, Delta Waterfowl Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to working with the Senator and her colleagues to see the HEN Act enacted."

S.2315 is an extension of Hyde-Smith advocacy for hunting. In 2019, President Trump signed into law a major national resources bill that included Hyde-Smith's legislation to allow states to extend duck hunting season to January 31 and to schedule special hunts for military, veterans, and youths. It was the first legislation she introduced as a United States Senator.

"Waterfowl hunting has a tremendous economic impact nationwide, in the billions of dollars, but this is not about economics. Mississippi has a strong hunting tradition that's been handed down for generations. It's part of who we are. It keeps our youth off their phones and in the field. It provides us with opportunities to spend time outdoors with family and friends. We won't be able to continue enjoying this luxury if we don't take action now to sustain strong duck populations," Hyde-Smith added.

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