Resources related to Human Disturbance

To fly or not to fly: high flight costs in a large sea duck do not imply an expensive lifestyle

A perennial question in ornithology is whether flight has evolved mostly to facilitate access to food or as an anti-predator strategy. However, flight is an expensive mode of locomotion and species using flight regularly are associated with an expensive lifestyle. Using heart rate (HR) data loggers implanted in 13 female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), our objective was to test the hypothesis that a high level of flight activity increases their energy budget.

To fly or not to fly: high flight costs in a large sea duck do not imply an expensive lifestyle

Implications of Demographic Uncertainty for Harvest Management of North American Sea Ducks

In 2010, the Sea Duck Joint Venture (SDJV) identified the need for improved science support for harvest and habitat management of North American sea ducks.
In order to prioritize monitoring and research needs in support of harvest management, we applied a Prescribed Take Level (PTL) framework to assess the influence of uncertainty about sea duck demographic
parameters on comparisons of observed and allowable harvest estimates. We focused on 7 populations of North American sea ducks: the American subspecies of common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri

Implications of Demographic Uncertainty for Harvest Management of North American Sea Ducks

Common Eider Duckling Survival Study

The Gulf of Maine is changing, and wildlife species that breed, nest, raise young and winter there have faced considerable
change in recent years. This was no more evident than in 2012 when ocean temperatures rose an incredible two
degrees, setting the wheels in motion for significant changes in complex marine food webs. Common eider populations,
too, must adapt to a significantly altered food web, as numerous studies report widespread losses of the once-abundant

Common Eider Duckling Survival Study

Body Composition Dynamics of Common Eider During Winter: An Application of the Deuterium Dilution Method

The nearshore and offshore waters of southern New England provide some of the most
important wintering habitat for sea ducks in North America. Understanding changes in sea duck body
composition during winter could provide insights into current habitat quality and potential effects of
anthropogenic disturbances on the body condition of sea ducks. We used the deuterium dilution method, a
nonlethal approach, to investigate intraseasonal variation and differences between genders in body

Body Composition Dynamics of Common Eider During Winter: An Application of the Deuterium Dilution Method

Sea Duck Joint Venture Implementation Plan 201 5 - 201 7

PRIORITIES 2015–2017 Priorities set out in this Implementation Plan are designed to help meet the SDJV mission,
which is to “...promote the conservation of all North American sea ducks through partnerships by providing greater
knowledge and understanding for effective management.”
The 2014-2018strategic plan reflects a significant shift in focus for the SDJV, from a broad-based science program
to a more focused program intended to provide information most needed by managers to make informed

Sea Duck Joint Venture Implementation Plan 2015 - 2017

Food Habits of Sea Ducks Atlantic Maritimes

Numbers of scoters (black, surf, and white-winged) and long-tailed ducks wintering in the Maritime provinces of Canada and the Chesapeake Bay (MD and VA, USA) have noticeably declined in recent years. Common goldeneye populations have also declined. Changes in the location of these seaduck populations have also been observed and have given managers new concerns. Many factors related to human population increases have been implicated in causing changes in the distribution and abundance of seaducks.

Food Habits of Sea Ducks

Sea Duck Joint Venture Strategic Communications Plan 2015-2019

The mission of the Sea Duck Joint Venture(SDJV)is to promote the conservation of North American sea ducks through partnerships by providing greater knowledge
and understanding for effective management. SDJV focuses on the 15 species of North American sea ducks on their coastal water habitat for migration and wintering as well as boreal forest and tundra habitat for nesting. Since the JV’s founding in 1998, the four pillars of its work have included science, communications, funding, and conservation.

Sea Duck Joint Venture Strategic Communications Plan 2015-2019

Disturbance effects of high-speed ferries on wintering sea ducks

Human offshore activities are increasingly threatening waterbird conservation interests. The impacts of disturbance by high-speed ferries on Common Eiders
Somateria mollissima and Common Scoters Melanitta nigra were studied at a wintering site in the Kattegat Sea, Denmark. Spatial patterns of winter site
use, close-range distribution patterns relative to ferry passages and escape distances were examined using aerial surveys and ferry-based observations.

Disturbance effects of high-speed ferries on wintering sea ducks

Fitting statistical distributions to seaduck count data: Implications for survey design and abundance estimation

Determining appropriate statistical distributions for modeling animal count data is important for accurate estimation of abundance,distribution,and trends.In the case of
seaducks along the U.S.Atlantic coast,managers want to estimate local and regional abundance to detect and track population declines, to define

Fittingstatisticaldistributionstoseaduckcountdata: Implicationsforsurveydesignandabundanceestimation

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