We did not determine if this lack of animal strike record keeping at small airports is due to airport managers being unaware of the regulatory requirements and reporting procedures, or if it is the result of having no strikes to report and the subsequent perception that there is no need for a record keeping system.
All national airports were able to describe trends in strikes or near misses. Of the small and regional airports who stated that they did not know if animal strikes or near misses were increasing or not, two regional airports had previously responded to survey
questions indicating that they did keep records of strikes or near misses; therefore it is not known why they would be unable to answer this question. Without this basic knowledge of strike trends, airports are unable to assess if CARs 302.302(1) criteria apply to them; carry out risk assessments and analysis; or identify and manage hazard species appropriately.