Project Information

Title: Harlequin Duck Population Dynamics in Prince William Sound: Measuring Recovery from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 070759

Project Year and Number: 2007: 070759

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2009: 090759, 2008: 080759, 2008: 080759-A, 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: This project will monitor the recovery of harlequin ducks and is directly linked to recovery objectives in the EVOS Restoration Plan. The outlook for recovery is improving, however, oil remains in the intertidal, ducks are exposed to oil, populations in oiled areas while no longer declining have not increased more than those in unoiled areas, and proportions of females in oiled areas remain lower than reference areas. This suggests a lack of full recovery. We will conduct winter boat surveys to test if harlequin ducks have recovered from the EVOS by comparing population structure and trends between oiled and unoiled treatments in four areas (2 oiled, 2 unoiled) of PWS. Similar structure and increasing trends in oiled areas, when interpreted with complimentary data, will indicate recovery status. Work will be complimentary to studies addressing lingering oil, cytochrome P450 induction, and population modeling to provide a more comprehensive assessment of recovery.


Proposal: View (241 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY07: View (32 KB)
Final Report: See Project 090759

Publications from this Project: None Available