The fifteen species of sea ducks (Tribe Mergini) are the most poorly understood group of waterfowl in North America. The most basic biological information is unknown for some species. Few species have reliable population indices or estimates of annual productivity, and much of our knowledge is based on a very few, localized studies. Also, current survey design is unable to accurately estimate sea duck harvest.
The goals of the SDJV promote development of short and long-term information gathering programs to determine basic parameters of sea duck populations, such as delineation of ranges and subunits, abundance and trends, production, harvest, and survival rates.
Goals
• The SDJV facilitates and supports the development of knowledge and understanding critical to sea duck conservation in North America.
• The SDJV promotes proactive conservation of sea ducks.
• The SDJV strives to increase the profile and provide technical advice on sea ducks within the conservation, industrial, and scientific communities.
• The SDJV develops a program to involve the partners and leverage resources needed to accomplish this.
Science:
The SDJV concentrated much of its initial effort on population delineation in an effort to provide a firm foundation for monitoring programs. Effective monitoring of sea duck populations is now a top priority as population trends for most species are based on limited information and abundance estimates are not possible.
The SDJV will continue to document the filling of information gaps and improvements in our knowledge.
The SDJV has identified several important initiatives:
• Development of effective population survey techniques
• Delineation of populations: Linking breeding, molting and winter ranges
• Population dynamics in Mergini and development of population models
• Improvement of harvest surveys
• Identification of important habitats
• Documentation of biological impacts of contaminants, parasites and disease
Proactive conservation is imperative.
• continue to provide access to science information to partners, government agencies, non-government organizations, and the private sector via web-based information, annual reports, and international symposia.
• focus proactive conservation work (outreach and engagement) in the following sectors: aquaculture, coastal wind energy, and offshore oil and gas development and production.
The fifteen species of sea ducks (Tribe Mergini) are the most poorly understood group of waterfowl in North America. The most basic biological information is unknown for some species. Few species have reliable population indices or estimates of annual productivity, and much of our knowledge is based on a very few, localized studies.
Also, current survey design is unable to accurately estimate sea duck harvest.