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

eing uslrf.
20. Dr. Yaurico She1 tgn (finding 6) , noczd the wide var'sty 3f predztj on
loss estimates and asserted that thos? who yearn for a sing??
accurate and dependable figure for such losses wee bound to be
disappointed, because - such an objective could never be realized.
He testified thac he wide ;lariation in eszimates <strong>of</strong> losses due r,o
predation could rzasonably be sxpl ai ned by: (1 ) coyox? densi :y ;
(2) number <strong>of</strong> sheep (cr soa~s) involved; (3) Jressnce cf ccntr31
efforts; (4) s2ason <strong>of</strong> the year; (3) age <strong>of</strong> przy ~ninals; (6)
a1 ternative fcod sources or grey species ; (7) animal XanaTexenr
protection; and (8) methods <strong>of</strong> collecting 2nd axpressing prdation
:asses. i-te further tasti iieu chat only rarely is predation observed
and thus several ai ternatives exi sred for deterni ni ng 2nd ex?ressi ng
such losses. He 1is~~d these as recording as predation losses:
(1) only those observed; (2) thos? verified as predator kills bas2d
on appropriate diagnostic techniques; (3) extrapolating on a percentage
basis frcm tho52 verified as predator losses tg a lar~er popularion;
(4) including a1 1 missing animals as predator ki 11s; (5) producer
estimates fro^ interviews; and (6) producer estimates from nai 1 ed
surveys. He was <strong>of</strong> the opinion that producer estimatss <strong>of</strong> loss2s '
came closer to the true situation existing in the induscry than
most efforts at research verification.