Sea Duck Predation on Mussel Farms: Growing Conflict

Home , Eider

Sea Duck Predation on Mussel Farms: growing conflict

Samantha E. Richman, Ph.D. Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island

Long Point Waterfowl, Ontario CAN [email protected]

The Sea Ducks... Common Eider

Common Eider North American (Somateria mollissima)

Hudson Bay Eider (S. m. sedentaria) Pacific Eider (S. m. v-nigra) Northern Eider (S. m. borealis)

American Eider (S. m. dresseri) None Subsistence and commercial value

Joel Heath King Eider The Scoters

White-winged Surf Scoter Black Scoter Scoter The Scoters North American population

Both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Long-tailed Duck (a.k.a “Oldsquaw”) Goldeneyes

Common Goldeneye Barrow’s Goldeneye Greater and Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Harlequin duck Sea Ducks (Tribe Mergini)

15 species: - 10 are declining - 4 are listed Federally and Internationally Species of Concern, Threatened or Endangered

Sea Duck Predators Sea ducks decoy really well! Sea Duck Habitats Feeding Generally, feed during the day, at dawn and dusk, but some feed at night.

Preferred Foods Clams, mussels, worms, crabs, urchins & herring spawn Eat the WHOLE thing! Small food (<20 mm), but CAN & DO eat large prey Deep Divers Generally, dive <10 m (~33’), but are capable of diving >40 meters (~130’)!

Joel Heath

Joel Heath Long-lines: surface or submerged

They are not out of reach! Satellite Telemetry: Atlantic Sea Duck Migration Multiple partners through the Sea Duck Joint Venture, USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USFWS, CWS http://www.wildlifetracking.org/feature.shtml

Capturing sea ducks!

Josh Beuth Surgically Implanted Satellite Transmitters F - Surf scoter Collar’m 2009 - 2010 & Foller’m Jean-Gagnon and Richman (2013) Data provided by DFO.

Tracadie Bay, PEI

Duck response to Mussel Landings PEI, Canada

Scaup

Long-tailed duck

Dionne et al. (2006)

Spring 1994

Spring 2008

Jean-Gagnon and Richman (2013) Data provided by DFO. Spring 2011

Jean-Gagnon and Richman (2013) Data provided by multiple partners of the Sea Duck Joint Venture Atlantic Migration Study, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USFWS, CWS, DFO Spring 2011

Jean-Gagnon and Richman (2013) Data provided by multiple partners of the Sea Duck Joint Venture Atlantic Migration Study, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USFWS, CWS, DFO Mussel Culture in Baie des Chaleurs, Québec

Mussel farms

Restigouche River Estuary IBA for Black Scoters

Sébastien Brennan-Bergeron Mussel Culture in Baie des Chaleurs, Québec

15 m

Fréchette et al. (2013) Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Baie des Chaleurs, 9 May 2011

Sébastien Brennan-Bergeron Baie des Chaleurs, 9 May 2011

Sébastien Brennan-Bergeron So, how do we keep ducks at bay?

Deterrent Methods

Ross and Furness 2000

Chasing Shooting Cannons Protective socking Scary eye Boat Harassment

• Expensive - fuel and labor

• May be limited to boundaries of lease site.

Ross and Furness 2000

• Short -term effects

• No protection at night or in bad weather Protective Socking Material

100% Cotton Polyester blends Biodegrades 3-5 weeks Breakdown time varies

Dionne et al. 2006, Mallet and Carver 2008 ‘Scaring’ Methods

Acoustic

‘Scaring’ Methods

Acoustic Visual Lethal

Scary eye buoy Requires special permit outside hunting season Limited success with rapid habituation.

Ross and Furness 2000 Predator Nets

Note: necessary to install a bottom net as the ducks can and will dive under the net! Predator Nets

1. Nets are expensive! 2. Nets slow flow rates! 3. Nets need cleaning! 4. Nets need repairing! 5. Nets catch everything!

Suggest: PVC coated welded wire Xplora Mussel Farms, Scotland The public does not like this… In a short time, a net can go from this….

To this….

Island Sea Farms, BC Samantha Richman

Samantha Richman Samantha Richman 1 hr ‘Knock-off’ Especially in late summer/early fall when water temperatures are warm.

st - Prefer spat or 1 year ~ 20 mm length

- Will eat commercial size, but really looking for 2nd set!

Samantha Richman USFWS Aerial Surveys – 23 Nov 2012

~ 5,000 eider

~ 15 to 20,000 Mixed eider/scoter 10,000 Mixed eider/scoter

Chris Dwyer, USWFS Eider - Near shore Concentration Areas

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management

Scoter - Near Shore Concentration Areas

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management

White-winged Scoter - M

Data provided by multiple partners of the Sea Duck Joint Venture Atlantic Migration Study, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USFWS, CWS Black Scoter - F

Data provided by multiple partners of the Sea Duck Joint Venture Atlantic Migration Study, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USFWS, CWS

Suggestions….

Be active!! Ducks don’t like people.

Sink your buoys! If you can. Color doesn’t matter.

Suggestions….

Use a combination of deterrent methods, consistently and persistently, but randomly !

None of them really work for long though…

Suggestions….

Increase predator habitat nearby...

Increase wetland habitat some where else…

Eider flight paths Desholm & Kahlert (2005) Communicate with Wildlife Officials

Southern New England Folks:

- Chris Dwyer, US Fish and Wildlife Service

- Jay Osenkowski

- Scott McWilliams and Peter Patton

- Rick McKinney

Joel Heath