This dissertation focuses on the predator-prey relationship between two species of avian predators, Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and one of their important prey types, juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), in the Columbia River estuary of Oregon and Washington states during the period 1998 – 2007. I...
A detailed understanding of the foraging ecology of species preying upon
threatened or endangered prey may contribute to identifying and evaluating
management options to reduce predation, when such management is deemed
appropriate. In the Columbia River estuary, Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) and
double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have been identified as...
We recovered passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags from nine piscivorous waterbird colonies in the Columbia River basin to evaluate avian predation on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmonid Oncorhynchus spp. populations during 2007–2010. Avian predation rates were calculated based on the percentage of PIT-tagged juvenile salmonids that were detected as passing...
Colony size, nesting ecology and diet of Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) were investigated in the San Francisco Bay area (SFBA) during 2003-2009 to assess the potential for conservation of the tern breeding population and possible negative effects of predation on survival of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.). Numbers of breeding Caspian...
San Francisco Bay is a proposed relocation site for some of the Caspian terns Hydroprogne caspia currently nesting at the world's largest colony for the species in the Columbia River estuary and consuming salmonids listed under the U. S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, several runs of salmonids listed under...
The status of the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) in western North America was last evaluated during 1987–2003. In the interim, concern has grown over the potential impact of predation by double-crested cormorants on juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), particularly in the Columbia Basin and along the Pacific coast where some salmonids...
We investigated colony size, productivity, and limiting factors for five piscivorous waterbird species nesting at 18 locations
on the Columbia Plateau (Washington) during 2004–2010 with emphasis on species with a history of salmonid
(Oncorhynchus spp.) depredation. Numbers of nesting Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants
(Phalacrocorax auritus) were stable...
Accurate assessment of specific mortality factors is vital to prioritize recovery actions for threatened and endangered species. For decades, tag recovery methods have been used to estimate fish mortality due to avian predation. Predation probabilities derived from fish tag recoveries on piscivorous waterbird colonies typically reflect minimum estimates of predation...
Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have been identified as the source of significant mortality to juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the Columbia River Basin. Management plans for reducing the size of a large colony on East Sand Island (OR, USA) in the Columbia River estuary are currently being developed. We evaluated...
Capturing breeding adults of colonially nesting species can entail risks of nest failure and even colony abandonment, especially in species that react strongly to human disturbance. A low-disturbance technique for capturing specific adult Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) at a ground-nesting colony was developed to reduce these risks and is described...