Central Flyway Increases Lesser Scaup Bag Limit For 2012 Season

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department released the daily and possession limits for the 2012 waterfowl season late last week. The usual bag limits are in place for all species except one, the lesser scaup. Also known to birdwatchers and hunters as the bluebill or broadbill, the lesser scaup is a medium-sized diving duck and common migrant in North Dakota during the fall. There are also breeding populations in many parts of the state.

The increase in daily harvest for lesser scaup coincides with an increase in there population over the past few years. The current population is estimated at 5.2 million birds, according to Ducks Unlimited. The wet cycle of recent years is most likely a main contributor to the increase. This is change from the past 30 years where bluebill populations were on a steady decline. In the late 1980s,  in response to the declining amount of birds, harvest restrictions were placed on lesser scaup. As recent as last year, the bag limit was just two birds per day. The limit for 2012 will be six birds per day.

Starting in the early 1980s, researchers began to investigate possible reasons for the decline in bluebill numbers. Since then, many hypotheses have come from research and we now understand a lot more about their migration, ecology, behavior and reproduction. The reality is that the scaup population recovered on its own, if recovered is even the right word. The scaup population was at all time lows based on human records of the population, but they were still one of the more abundant ducks in North America. It is very possible that scaup populations have fluctuated over time, but humans have only been keeping records for a short while, biologically speaking. If anything has been learned from the past 30 years is that the lesser scaup is a resilient bird that we really don't know much about.

I have donated my own free time and money for the cause of understanding more about these birds, and it is rewarding to know that their population is on the rise. I hope for future generations of hunters and birdwatchers alike that they continue to flourish for many years to come.

Banding lesser scaup with Dr. Alan Afton on Pool 19 of the Mississippi River, March 2009.