Details:

Journal Title:
Marine Ornithology
Personal Author:
Powers, K.D. ; Wiley, D.N. ; Robuck, A.R. ; Olson, Z.H. ; Welch, L.J. ; ... More +
Powers, K.D. ; Wiley, D.N. ; Robuck, A.R. ; Olson, Z.H. ; Welch, L.J. ; Thompson, M.A. ; Kaufman, L. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)
NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) Less -
Description:
Movements of Great Shearwaters Ardenna gravis wintering in the Northwest Atlantic showed age-based spatial and temporal flexibility, with foraging tactics linked to a defined physical preference of their primary prey. From 2013 to 2018, we tracked 58 Great Shearwaters during their wintering season using platform terminal transmitters deployed in the same area of the southwest Gulf of Maine. Utilization distributions (UDs) for individual birds were created from convex hulls, which were then combined for spatial and temporal analyses. Of the 95% kernel UDs, 55% were contained within the Gulf of Maine and the remainder extended to the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia and the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Analysis of fecal DNA from tagged birds and others captured with them indicated that Northern sand lance Ammodytes dubius were the primary prey while in the Gulf of Maine. This relationship was supported by the overlap of UDs and sand lance habitat. The spatial occurrence of sand lance from bottomfish trawl survey data demonstrated that these fish preferred shallow water (< 100 m deep) with substrates consisting of high sand content (> 50%) and grain sizes ranging from 0.35–2.00 mm in diameter. These same properties were associated and spatially aligned with the collective 25% kernel UD of Great Shearwaters. Necropsy of bycaught Great Shearwaters from an area that overlapped in space and time with tagged individuals and sand lance habitat demonstrated that most birds (89%) were young (0–2 years), based on gonadal development, molt score, and/or bursa of Fabricius. Coupling demographic information from necropsies with spatial habits and movement timing of tagged birds suggests this region serves as a winter “nursery” for Great Shearwaters.
Content Notes:
We thank...the crew of NOAA R/V Auk for assistance in collecting shearwater data...NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center provided bottom fish trawl information. NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) provided surficial sediment datasets for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas of the US continental shelf. Genetic analyses of blood...All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

Funding was provided by the Volgenau Foundation, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Mudge Foundation, Boston University Marine Program, and Pew Charitable Trusts. The NOAA Nancy Foster Scholarship provided support to A. Robuck. Laboratory work was supported by a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience fellowship through the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New England.


Keywords:
[+]
Ammodytes Bycatches (Fisheries) Shearwaters Bycatch Necropsies Fecal DNA Analysis Great Shearwaters Sand Lance Satellite Tracking Utilization Distribution Wintering Range
Source:
Marine Ornithology 48: 215–229 (2020)
Format:
PDF
Document Type:
Journal Article
Name as Subject:
NOAA R/V Auk
Rights Information:
Other
Rights Statement:
The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, or the US Department of Commerce. This publication does not constitute an endorsement of any commercial product or intend to be an opinion beyond scientific or other results obtained by these agencies.
Compliance:
Submitted
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:2ef4b92c891af97661571844fb7dadeb17744dcc71914ac122e6bf10b493b233
Download URL:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/52300/noaa_52300_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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