Memphis, Tenn. ? Duck populations have declined to 32.2 million birds — 11 percent below last year’s count — in surveys conducted in May by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“These numbers pretty well reflect feedback we have been receiving all spring from our staff,” said Ducks Unlimited official Don Young.

The decline has been blamed on extremely dry winter conditions.

“Almost all of the early spring snowmelt was soaked up and did not run off to fill the basins for the arrival of the birds,” Young said.

Using these numbers and forthcoming data from other surveys, waterfowl managers from federal and state agencies will meet later this summer to determine how to regulate duck hunting.

“Waterfowl managers and hunters have weathered conditions much worse than this many times in the past,” Young said.