PROJECT LEADERS

• • David Ward
  • Jason Schamber
  • Jerry Hupp
  • Margaret Petersen
  • Matthew Sexson
  • Paul Flint

The sea duck tribe, Mergini, has 15 diverse species that nest in North America including eiders, harlequin, long-tailed duck, scoters, goldeneye, bufflehead, and mergansers. The status and health of sea duck populations are of local, regional, national, and international concern. Within the four flyways of North America declines have been reported for 11 populations or species, 3 species or populations are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and the status of 13 species or populations is unknown: only 6 species or populations are believed to be increasing and 5 are probably stable (Petersen and Hogan 1996; International Waterfowl Symposium 7:62-67). Basic understanding of harvest, distribution, habitat requirements, basic breeding and post-nesting ecology, populations dynamics, and statistically valid population monitoring is lacking; thus, most management decisions are based on little or no information regarding the consequences of management actions. Studies are designed to anticipate and address priority needs of management in relation to seaduck populations. The project will be subdivided into various parts to address various species and habitats throughout the state of Alaska and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

Modeling Populations of Spectacled Eiders

Sea Duck Projects

1. Population Delineation and Wintering Ecology of Surf Scoters in Southeast Alaska - Dave Ward
2. Temporal and Geographic Distribution of the Aleutian Islands Pacific Common Eider: Sampling for Avian Influenza – Margaret Petersen
3. Sampling Steller's Eiders on the Alaska Peninsula and Kuskokwim Shoals for Avian Influenza – Paul Flint
4. Community Immunogenetics of Sea Ducks: Screening Candidate Genes Associated with Immune Response – Sandra Talbot
5. Temporal and Geographic Distribution of the Spectacled Eider: Sampling for Avian Influenza – Paul Flint
6. Population Ecology of Mergansers – John Pearce
7. Winter Ecology of Steller's Eiders and Other Seaducks in Western Alaska – Paul Flint
8. Migration, and Post-Breeding Ecology of Seaducks - Margaret Petersen
9. Population Dynamics and Reproductive Ecology of Black Scoters on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta – Paul Flint
10. Population Dynamics and Ecology of Spectacled Eiders Breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta – Paul Flint
11. Breeding and Post-Nesting Ecology of Seaducks Along the Beaufort Sea, Alaska - Paul Flint
12. Population Structure of Pacific Common Eiders Breeding in Alaska – Margaret Petersen
13. Non-breeding ecology of Spectacled Eiders – Margaret Petersen and Matt Sexson