Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Scaup numbers on the recovery

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has released its spring survey of mid-continent breeding ducks and the numbers look promising for all species, however you'll notice that there are still a few problems that need to be addressed.


The biggest problem of these is the declining Scaup populations. For us at Long Point Waterfowl, Scaup are particularly near and dear to our hearts: we do a lot of research to try and figure out why the species is declining so rapidly.

Our research at LPW is focusing on the contaminant hypothesis, which suggests Scaup are acquiring levels of trace elements and/or other contaminants that subsequently impact survival or reproduction. We are hopeful that the upward trend in Scaup populations will continue but are still dedicated to our research to ensure that it's not a temporary lull and will continue to recover.