25738 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2018 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR developed a schedule for migratory vii. Mottled ducks game bird hunting regulations that is viii. Wood ducks Fish and Wildlife Service more efficient and provides hunting ix. Youth Hunt season dates much earlier than was x. Mallard Management Units 50 CFR Part 20 xi. Other possible under the old process. The 2. Sea Ducks [Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2017–0028; process facilitates planning for the 3. Mergansers FF09M21200–178–FXMB1231099BPP0] States and all parties interested in 4. Canada Geese migratory bird hunting. Beginning in the A. Special Early Seasons RIN 1018–BB73 summer of 2015, with the 2016–17 B. Regular Seasons hunting seasons, we started C. Special Late Seasons Migratory Bird Hunting; Final 5. White-Fronted Geese Frameworks for Migratory Bird Hunting promulgating our annual migratory game bird hunting regulations using a 6. Brant Regulations 7. Snow and Ross’s (Light) Geese schedule that combines the previously 8. Swans AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, used early- and late-season regulatory 9. Sandhill Cranes Interior. processes into a single process. We 10. Coots ACTION: Final rule. make decisions for harvest management 11. Moorhens and Gallinules based on predictions derived from long- 12. Rails SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife term biological information and 13. Snipe Service (Service or we) prescribes final established harvest strategies and, 14. Woodcock frameworks from which States may therefore, can establish migratory bird 15. Band-tailed Pigeons select season dates, limits, and other hunting seasons much earlier than the 16. Doves 17. Alaska options for the 2018–19 migratory bird system we used for many years. Under hunting seasons. The effect of this final 18. Hawaii this revised process, we develop 19. Puerto Rico rule is to facilitate the States’ selection proposed hunting season frameworks 20. Virgin Islands of hunting seasons and to further the for a given year in the fall of the prior 21. Falconry annual establishment of the migratory year. We then finalize those frameworks 22. Other bird hunting regulations. We annually a few months later, thereby enabling the Subsequent documents, including this prescribe frameworks, or outer limits, State agencies to select and publish document, refer only to numbered items for dates and times when hunting may their season dates in early summer. We requiring attention. Therefore, it is occur and the number of birds that may provided a detailed overview of the new important to note that we omit those be taken and possessed in hunting process in the August 3, 2017, Federal items requiring no attention and seasons. These frameworks are Register (82 FR 36308). This final rule remaining numbered items will be necessary to allow State selections of is the fourth in a series of proposed and discontinuous, so the list appears to be seasons and limits and to allow final rules for the establishment of the incomplete. The August 3, 2017, recreational harvest at levels compatible 2018–19 hunting seasons. proposed rule also provided detailed with population and habitat conditions. Regulations Schedule for 2018 information on the proposed 2018–19 DATES: This rule takes effect on June 4, regulatory schedule and announced the 2018. On August 3, 2017, we published a Service Regulations Committee (SRC) ADDRESSES: States should send their proposal to amend title 50 of the Code and Flyway Council meetings. season selections to: Chief, Division of of Federal Regulations (CFR) at part 20 On October 3, 2017, we published in Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish (82 FR 36308). The proposal provided a the Federal Register (82 FR 46011) a and Wildlife Service, MS: MB, 5275 background and overview of the second document providing Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– migratory bird hunting regulations supplemental proposals for migratory 3803. You may inspect comments process, and addressed the bird hunting regulations. The October 3 received on the migratory bird hunting establishment of seasons, limits, and supplement also provided detailed regulations during normal business other regulations for hunting migratory information on the 2018–19 regulatory hours at the Service’s office at 5275 game birds under §§ 20.101 through schedule and re-announced the SRC Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 20.107, 20.109, and 20.110 of subpart K. meetings. On October 17–18, 2017, we 3803 or at http://www.regulations.gov at Major steps in the 2018–19 regulatory held open meetings with the Flyway Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2017–0028. cycle relating to open public meetings Council consultants, at which the You may obtain copies of referenced and Federal Register notifications were participants reviewed information on reports from the street address above, or also identified in the August 3, 2017, the current status of migratory game from the Division of Migratory Bird proposed rule. Further, we explained birds and developed recommendations Management’s website at http:// that all sections of subsequent for the 2018–19 regulations for these www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/, or at documents outlining hunting species. On February 2, 2018, we http://www.regulations.gov at Docket frameworks and guidelines would be published in the Federal Register (83 No. FWS–HQ–MB–2017–0028. organized under numbered headings. FR 4964) the proposed frameworks for FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Those headings are: the 2018–19 season migratory bird W. Kokel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 1. Ducks hunting regulations. This document Service, Department of the Interior, MS: A. General Harvest Strategy establishes final frameworks for MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, B. Regulatory Alternatives migratory bird hunting regulations for VA 22041–3803; (703) 358–1967. C. Zones and Split Seasons the 2018–19 season. There are no D. Special Seasons/Species Management substantive changes from the February SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: i. September Teal Seasons ii. September Teal/Wood Duck Seasons 2, 2018, proposed rule. We will publish Process for the Annual Migratory Game State selections in the Federal Register Bird Hunting Regulations iii. Black ducks iv. Canvasbacks as amendments to §§ 20.101 through As part of DOI’s retrospective v. Pintails 20.107 and 20.109 of title 50 CFR part regulatory review, 2 years ago we vi. Scaup 20. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:55 Jun 01, 2018 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\04JNR2.SGM 04JNR2 sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with RULES2 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 25739 Population Status and Harvest of all migratory birds, and status and economic impacts of the annual hunting Each year we publish various species habitat data on which the migratory bird regulations on small business entities in status reports that provide detailed hunting regulations are based. Another detail as part of a 1981 cost-benefit information on the status and harvest of commenter questioned the availability analysis and that this analysis was migratory game birds, including of data upon which the proposals were revised annually from 1990–95. In 1995, based and requested that all such data information on the methodologies and we issued a Small Entity Flexibility should be in any proposal. Several other results. These reports are available at Analysis, which was subsequently commenters noted the lack of habitat the address indicated under FOR updated in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2008, and information (particularly human-caused FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or from 2013, as new information became losses), biodiversity, and climate change our website at https://www.fws.gov/ available. The primary source of discussion in the proposals. An birds/surveys-and-data/reports-and- information about hunter expenditures individual stated that our economic publications/population-status.php. We for migratory game bird hunting is the studies used outdated, flawed data. An used the following reports: Adaptive National Hunting and Fishing Survey, individual generally supported the Harvest Management, 2018 Hunting which is conducted at 5-year intervals. proposed regulations. Season (September 2017); American When there is updated information Service Response: Our long-term available, we will update our analysis. Woodcock Population Status, 2017 objectives continue to include providing (August 2017); Band-tailed Pigeon opportunities to harvest portions of 1. Ducks Population Status, 2017 (August 2017); certain migratory game bird populations A. General Harvest Strategy Migratory Bird Hunting Activity and and to limit harvests to levels Harvest During the 2015–16 and 2016– compatible with each population’s Council Recommendations: The 17 Hunting Seasons (August 2017); ability to maintain healthy, viable Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Mourning Dove Population Status, 2017 numbers. Having taken into account the Pacific Flyway Councils recommended (August 2017); Status and Harvests of zones of temperature and the the adoption of the ‘‘liberal’’ regulatory Sandhill Cranes, Mid-continent, Rocky distribution, abundance, economic alternative. Mountain, Lower Colorado River Valley value, breeding habits, and times and Service Response: We will continue and Eastern Populations, 2017 (August lines of flight of migratory birds, we using adaptive harvest management 2017); and Waterfowl Population Status, conclude that the hunting seasons (AHM) to help determine appropriate 2017 (August 2017).