Project Information

Title: Amendment to Harlequin Duck Population Dynamics in Prince William Sound: Measuring Recovery from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 080759-A

Project Year and Number: 2008: 080759-A

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2009: 090759, 2008: 080759, 2007: 070759, 2005: 050759, 2004: 040407, 2002: 02407, 2001: 01407, 2000: 00407

Principal Investigator (PI): Dan Rosenberg (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: None

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Harlequin Ducks

Abstract: Since demographic studies were initiated, Cytochrome P450 1A induction studies have documented exposure to EVO at smaller spatial scales than population monitoring studies can measure. This biomarker of oil exposure has been correlated with lower female survival and is consistent with a lower proportion of females in oiled areas. However, broad scale demographic studies indicate population stability in oiled areas and not the decline expected if oil exposure reduces survival rates. This proposal attempts to improve the ability of demographic studies to assess data at smaller spatial scales commensurate with extant oil exposure, lingering oil, and oiling intensity. We will conduct Phase 1 of a Pilot Study to assess the range of variability on our transect counts by conducting replicate surveys of a random subsample of transects based on transect length and oiling history.


Proposal: View (224 KB)

Reports:
Final Report: See Project 090759

Publications from this Project: None Available