Alaska Duck Numbers In Healthier Shape Than Other Areas Of The Country

Ducks Unlimited released its annual duck breeding numbers survey, and while much of the country’s population statistics show a downward trend, that’s not the case in Alaska.

While there are a lot of duck species in the negative range between 2019 and 2022 surveys, DU’s data shows a much better trend for birds migrating to and from the Last Frontier. Here’s more from the report:

Alaska has become an increasingly important source of ducks for Pacific Flyway hunters, and the state didn’t disappoint again in 2022. The total duck estimate in Alaska was up 17 percent from 2019 and comparable to the long-term average.

Survey pilots reported that wetlands across the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, as well as on the coastal plains and river deltas of Alaska, were in good to excellent condition, although nesting habitats in some important areas, such as the Peace-Athabasca Delta, were impacted by excessive precipitation and flooding. Overall, observers expected average to good waterfowl production in these areas. In recent decades, Alaska has become an increasingly important source of ducks for Pacific Flyway hunters, and the state didn’t disappoint again in 2022. The total duck estimate in Alaska was up 17 percent from 2019 and comparable to the long-term average.