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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #129578
Title: "REGIONAL AND CONTINENTAL MOVEMENTS OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS (PHALACROCORAX AURITUS) CAPTURED NEAR SOUTHEASTERN AQUACULTURE FACILITIES."

Author
item KING, TOMMY - USDA/APHIS/WS,NWRC
item DORR, BRIAN - USDA/APHIS/WS,NWRC
item WERNER, SCOTT - USDA/APHIS/WS,NWRC
item Radomski, Andrew

Submitted to: Microwave Telemetry Inc
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/2/2001
Publication Date: 1/20/2002
Citation: KING, T., DORR, B., WERNER, S., RADOMSKI, A.A. "REGIONAL AND CONTINENTAL MOVEMENTS OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS (PHALACROCORAX AURITUS) CAPTURED NEAR SOUTHEASTERN AQUACULTURE FACILITIES.". MICROWAVE TELEMETRY INC. 2002. p.6.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The interior population of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus has increased dramatically since the late 1970's. Within the last decade, the number of cormorants wintering in the delta region of Mississippi has nearly tripled. During the last 25 years, aquaculture production (primaril channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus) in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi has also dramatically increased. Cormorants, and several oth fish-eating birds, take advantage of this abundant and readily accessible food source. We initiated a multi-year study to monitor the movement patterns of cormorants captured near catfish production areas in the southeastern United States. From October through March 1999-2001, we equipped 56 Double-crested Cormorants with 45 gram (n = 29 in 1999-2000) or 30 gram SiV (n = 26 in 2000-2001) Microwave PTT-100 transmitters in Alabama Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. During spring and fall migration, it twas not unusual for these birds to travel >400 km in 48 hr. In general, th summer ranges of these cormorants encompassed the Great Lakes and portions Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Vermont in the United States and Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec in Canada. The summer ranges of cormorants captured in Alabama were from the Great Lakes eastward to Lake Champlain. Cormorants captured in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi spent their summers in the Great Lakes, Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario. These data show that Double-crested Cormorants that winter near southeaster aquaculture have a broad summer and breeding distribution. These data also indicate that cormorants remained near areas of intensive aquaculture during the winter months.