The new survey, called the Harvest Information Program (HIP), was fully implemented in 1999. In this program, the harvest-sampling frame is derived from lists of those who have registered with state wildlife agencies as migratory bird hunters. The new questionnaire portion of the survey includes some species and groups of migratory game birds other than waterfowl (e.g., woodcock and doves). The parts collection portion of the survey was expanded to include these species and groups as well.

Since the source of participants and the mail/questionnaire survey in the Harvest Information Program are different from those in the previously used survey, the estimates of waterfowl harvests, hunting activity, and hunter success derived from the two surveys are not comparable. Consequently, much of the historic data used to determine population increases and declines is no longer used, but even with this new form of data from USFWS, overall duck populations seem to be in serious decline when compared with the figures obtained when the surveys began.

For this reason, the harvest estimates (1961-2001) based on the discontinued MQS were removed from USFWS annually updated compilation of Atlantic Flyway data titled "Waterfowl Harvest and Population Survey Data," and placed in a separate compilation titled "Estimates of Waterfowl Harvest, Hunting Activity, and Success, 1961-2001."

According to the latest survey figures, waterfowl hunters harvested a total of 1,407,700 ducks throughout the Atlantic Flyway during 2004-2005, the lowest harvest since 1999. Some of this decrease may be attributed to more stringent regulations put in place in an attempt to offset population declines seen over the past several decades. However, careful examination of all USFWS data, both population figures and hunter success numbers, indicates that hunters may again face significant decreases in season lengths and bag limits sometime in the very near future.