Harvest management, Monitoring
Midcontinent Greater White-fronted Goose Banding in Alaska
Status
Ongoing

States

Alaska

The mid-continent population of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) breeds in tundra habitats from the eastern shore of Hudson Bay to the west coast of northern Alaska, south into boreal forests and taiga habitat in interior and northwest Alaska. The winter range extends through Central and Mississippi Flyway states and into portions of Mexico.  Throughout its range, greater white-fronted geese are an important resource for sport and subsistence hunters. 

To collect data needed for harvest management of greater white-fronted geese, flocks are captured and leg banded annually throughout Canada and Alaska. Within interior Alaska, our Alaska Migratory Birds Office leads this annual effort in collaboration with National Wildlife Refuges. The objective of this project is to estimate annual survival, harvest rate, and population size. Following the flyway management plan, these estimates are calculated from band and encounter data to determine bag limits and season dates for the subsequent hunting season. 

Since 1969, USFWS biologists have banded more than 60,000 mid-continent greater white-fronted geese in major molting areas in Alaska. While banding within Interior and Northwest Alaska occurred in multiple sites annually in the state prior to 2012, recent activities have focused solely on the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, the terminus of a major molt migration of nonbreeding and failed breeding white-fronts from throughout Interior Alaska.

Directed and filmed by Benjamin Fischer, Music by Aaron Daane for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bird migration has always been a source of fascination and mystery. By marking birds in one location and recovering them in another, the secrets of migration can be revealed. But first, you must catch the birds. Meet a team of Alaskan biologists on an annual goose roundup to discover how teamwork and a unique use of float-equipped aircraft can get the job done. 

Banding - Arctic Goose Joint Venture

The Significance of Waterfowl Bands to Hunters and Scientists Alike

Facilities

Sunset over the shore of a large river.
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
From vast stretches of black spruce forest to vernal pools and slow moving rivers, the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is home to abundant wildlife from the smallest shrew to huge moose and everything in between. Established in 1980, this refuge located in western Alaska on the traditional...
National Wildlife Refuge
Galena,AK
Black and white bird with long neck and yellow bill on the water
Alaska Migratory Birds Office
Alaska is home to more than 470 species of birds. Most are migratory birds for which the Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible under international treaties and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. While some of the birds stay in Alaska year-round, most migrate to Canada, Central America, South America...
Conservation Office
Anchorage,AK

Contact

Programs

A large bird with brown feathers, white head, and yellow beak flies against a pale blue sky
The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds,...
Program
Washington,DC

Species