Delineation of surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) habitat in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland: macrobenthic and sediment composition of surf scoter feeding sites

Project Number: 78

Year Funded: 2006

Lead Institution(s): Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Project Lead: David M. Kidwell

Email:

Collaborator(s): Matthew Perry (PWRC), Kenned Paytner (UM)

Location: Chesapeake Bay

Focal Species: Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)

Project Description: Surf scoters are one of the least studied waterfowl and surveys have indicated a declining population over the past several decades. Along the Atlantic Coast, the Chesapeake Bay is an important wintering area for surf scoters, containing large numbers from November through April. Over the past century, the Chesapeake Bay has experienced declining environmental conditions that have had a significant effect on the ecosystem. The most widespread effects have typically been due to low oxygen events (hypoxia). Locations with summer hypoxia show a restructured benthic community (Diaz and Rosenberg 1995) and tend to be composed of large numbers of opportunistic species, such as dwarf surf clam (Mulinia lateralis). Low oxygen events, combined with the significant loss of oyster habitat (1% of historic levels), have caused a shift in the Bay, from a benthic to a pelagic driven system.