Alaska Duck Production Survey

Author : Michael Ray Guttery
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (137 download)

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Download or read book Surveys of Waterfowl in Kachemak Bay, Alaska During Winter 1999-2019 written by Michael Ray Guttery and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to public concern over perceived declines in sea duck populations in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Waterfowl Program began conducting waterfowl surveys of the bay during winter of 1999. Between 1999 and 2019, a total of 10 surveys were conducted. Each survey included the use of open skiffs to enumerate waterfowl using nearshore habitats and fixed-winged aircraft to survey transects in offshore areas. Initially we had hoped to produce abundance estimates by species, but it was determined that the complexities of surveying wintering waterfowl precluded us from achieving this level of inference. Consequently, we report the results of trend analyses for those species for which there was adequate data. Results suggest that overall sea duck and total duck (sea ducks plus dabbling ducks) numbers increased over the course of the survey. Of the 10 individual species for which there was adequate data for analysis, 7 were found to have positive population trajectories. Population declines were detected for goldeneye (species combined), long-tailed ducks, and mallards with varying degrees of certainty. Overall, our results suggest that duck and sea duck populations are generally doing well in Kachemak Bay. However, it is important to note that due to their migratory nature, sea ducks, like virtually all waterfowl species, are typically monitored and managed at very large spatial scales so it is unclear how or if these results are indicative of patterns occurring at management-relevant scales.