Deterring coastal birds from roosting on oyster culture gear in eastern New Brunswick,Canada |
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| Authors: | LA Comeau P St-Onge F Pernet L Lanteigne |
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| Institution: | 1. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, P.O. Box 5030, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada E1C 9B6;2. Institut de Recherche sur les Zones Côtières, 232B rue de l’Église, Shippagan, New Brunswick, Canada E8S 1J2;3. P.O. Box 3308, Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick, Canada E1X 1G5;1. UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;2. Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland;3. Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada;4. Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Ireland;1. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA;2. Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd., Dauphin Island, AL 36528, USA;3. University of South Alabama, Department of Marine Sciences, Mobile, AL 36688, USA;4. Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 842012, Richmond, VA 23284-2012, USA;5. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA;6. University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Science, 3431 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA;1. Senckenberg am Meer, Marine Research Department, Südstrand 40, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany;2. Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany;3. Institute of Avian Research, “Vogelwarte Helgoland”, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany;4. Wadden Sea National Park Administration of Lower Saxony, Virchowstraße 1, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany;1. School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;2. School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;1. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, 343 Université Ave., Moncton, NB, E1C 9B6, Canada |
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| Abstract: | An ornithological survey was conducted along the eastern coastline of New Brunswick, Canada, where oysters are cultivated in suspension using PVC bags and wire-mesh cages. Thirteen bird species and a variety of unidentified shorebirds were observed roosting on the floating oyster gear. The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) was the most common species observed (47.6% of all counts), closely followed by herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and common terns (Sterna hirundo) at 18.7% and 13.0%, respectively. Birds were densely aggregated where few cages or bags had been deployed. A gear-type effect was also detected: birds were more abundant on floating cages (mean = 47.9/100 m2 of exposed area, S.E. = 5.8) than on floating bags (mean = 32.8/100 m2, S.E. = 1.9). The survey was followed by two experiments designed to test the effects of gear modifications on bird abundance and diversity. For bags, results indicated that shallow immersion (～6 cm below surface) and floater instability were effective deterrents to P. auritus, reducing its abundance by a 37-fold factor. For wire-mesh cages, a dented triangular structure mounted on top of floaters was a harassing physical barrier to roosting behaviour, consequently reducing bird abundances to null (or near null) values. |
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