Notice of Hearing on the Application to Use Sodium Fluoroacetate ...

conclusion ma; a1;housn unknc~n csus2s cf sne?? and 7259 ~ P ~ Y S
arn~uric2d to 18 ?ercenc o i all losses in, 1367, ~nkncwn C ~ L I S ~ <strong>of</strong> S
deachs were only 7 ?ercent <strong>of</strong> all losses in i973.
23, A1 though the loss figures reported by Mr. ,Vurfield included lambs
born during the year which were lost to predators, the loss rates
wer2 not calculated by zdding the 1,amb crop - for the year in question
to the inventory as <strong>of</strong> January 1. Hr. Nurfiela befmded rhis
result, rejecting the idea that ;he lamb crop during the year should
be added to the January 1 inventory in order to calculate the
percentage <strong>of</strong> predation loss25, because, int:r alia, the invenxory
as o-i January 1 <strong>of</strong> eSch year i nc1 uded 1 ambsm born si nce October 1
<strong>of</strong> the preceding year and add'ng the lamb crop would resulc in
dup1.ication. It appears, h~we\/er, that lamb crcp for each year as
reported by SRS includes lambs born frcm October l <strong>of</strong> the gr2~2ding
year thrcugh Segtomber 30 <strong>of</strong> che succeeding year. Accordingly, ;he
dupl ication referred ta by Nr. Murfield does not appear to be real .
A table produc2d by Defenders reflects the percent <strong>of</strong> sheep and
lamb losszs co a17 causes in Texas as a percent <strong>of</strong> the January 1
inventory plus the lamb crop for each year from 1962 and including
1981 as reported by the SRS and the Crop Reporting Board <strong>of</strong> the
U.S. Departnent <strong>of</strong> Agriculture. The table reflects that car~bined
losses to all causes were 10.4 percent in ,1960, 9.7 percent in 1967,
7.3 percent in 1974 and 6.6 percent in 1981. This table is in accord