Avalon New Jersey Sea Watch: Addressing Monitoring Prerequisites

Project Number: 97

Year Funded: 2009

Lead Institution(s): New Jersey Audubon Society

Project Lead: David Mizrahi

Email:

Collaborator(s): Kowa Optimed Inc

Location: New Jersey

Focal Species: All Sea Ducks, Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri), Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), Black Scoter (Melanitta americana), Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), White-winged Scoter (Melanitta delgandi)

Project Description: Assessing population status and trends in many Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding waterfowl is challenging because counting them across their range during the nesting season is logistically difficult. They also can be difficult to count on their wintering grounds as they may be widespread across the offshore waters of large lakes and extensive coastlines. The Sea Duck Joint Venture's (SDJV) recent draft document "Recommendations for Monitoring North American Sea Ducks" suggests that most traditional waterfowl surveys are not designed to gather the data necessary to generate reliable population size and trend estimates for sea ducks. Furthermore, the SDJV draft report indicates that designing and implementing surveys and monitoring programs that provide specific data on population size, status, and trends are urgently needed for most species in this group.