Evaluating Effects of the Shellfish Industry on Scoter Populations in Coastal British Columbia

Project Number: 15

Year Funded: 2005

Lead Institution(s): Simon Fraser University

Project Lead: Dan Esler

Email:

Collaborator(s): Sean Boyd (CWS), USFWS, USGS, NOSF, NSERC

Location: British Columbia

Focal Species: Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), White-winged Scoter (Melanitta delgandi)

Project Description: Coastal British Columbia supports important concentrations of surf scoters and whitewinged scoters. The habitats used by scoters also support shellfish aquaculture, an industry that has the potential to expand dramatically. Our research investigates the interactions between scoter populations and the shellfish industry, with the intent of evaluating potential effects, either detrimental or beneficial, of shellfish aquaculture on scoter population sustainability, at local and regional scales and short- and long-term time frames.