| Abstract: | A discrete optimal control approach is used to show that the intensity of harvest of mallard populations in North America, at steady state, is sensitive to the strength of compensation between natural mortality and harvest mortality. Optimal harvest is less sensitive to changes in the natural mortality rate than to the interaction between natural and harvest mortalities. The management implications are: (1) if compensatory mortality operates, then more animals may be harvested without endangering the population, and (2) managers should pay particular attention to this mechanism in studying population dynamics. |
