Back to Search Start Over

Hunting and seagrass affect fall stopover Canada goose distribution in eastern Canada.

Authors :
Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise
Hanson, Alan
Leblon, Brigitte
LaRocque, Armand
Humphries, Murray M.
Source :
Journal of Wildlife Management; Aug2023, Vol. 87 Issue 6, p1-16, 16p
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) migrating along coastal flyways are reliant on natural coastal ecosystems. Within these stopover sites, eelgrass (Zostera marina), the most common and widespread seagrass species in North America, is an important food resource for migrating waterfowl. Given the growing anthropogenic pressure on coastal ecosystems, geese migrating along coastal regions may find it increasingly difficult to access suitable stopover sites where food is abundant and human disturbance is low. We assessed the influence of hunting and eelgrass on the spatiotemporal distribution of Canada geese in the Tabusintac Bay, New Brunswick, Canada, a wetland of international importance. We surveyed Canada geese at 6 stations from mid‐September to late October, 2016 and 2017. We used 2‐part hurdle models consisting of generalized linear mixed models with binomial and negative binomial response distributions to model Canada geese presence and abundance, respectively, in relation to eelgrass abundance, distance to the mainland coastline, water depth, and tidal conditions in 3 different hunting intensity periods. Eelgrass abundance is a significant predictor of Canada geese presence early in the season, when hunting activity is low. At the onset of the hunting period, geese shifted diurnal distribution to areas farther offshore, indicating a response to avoid disturbance, and the abundance of Canada geese increased with increasing eelgrass availability, emphasizing the importance of eelgrass as a food source during fall migration in that region. Thus, our results highlight the effects of human disturbance and eelgrass abundance in influencing stopover behavior of Canada geese during fall migration in eastern Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0022541X
Volume :
87
Issue :
6
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Journal of Wildlife Management
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
164877982
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22428