Sea Duck Joint Venture
Publication Date:
2011
More than half of North American sea duck populations have apparently declined over the past 2-3 decades, although reasons for declines are unknown. Population delineation (i.e., the links among breeding, molting, wintering, and staging areas) is critical information needed to design and interpret monitoring surveys, to better understand population ecology and population dynamics, and determine limiting factors and potential strategies to improve conservation status of sea ducks. Sea ducks are one of the primary wildlife species utilizing coastal habitats in the Atlantic during winter and may serve as good barometers of the health of marine environments.