| Description |
SDJV funding supports both the USFWS and Department of Interior (DOI) missions, and the DOI Secretary’s priorities related to conservation stewardship, natural resource use, and striking a regulatory balance. One of the purposes of the SDJV is to prevent further listings of sea duck species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), as two sea duck populations are already listed as threatened in the U.S., and the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in Canada. Funded projects contribute sound science about sea duck populations and habitat needs by helping to monitor their status and address factors that diminish their abundance. Healthy sea duck populations support waterfowl hunting opportunities for hunters in the U.S. and Canada, particularly in coastal areas of the Atlantic, Great Lakes and Pacific regions. Traditional harvests of sea ducks are important for recreational hunters across North America and more so for subsistence hunters in rural northern communities. |
