U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grant for Northern Gannet Tracking Research

This is a Notice of Intent to Award, in accordance with 505 DM 2, 2.14 B (4),
a Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and The Dr. William Montevecchi Lab at Memorial University of Newfoundland (Montevecchi Lab) for the purpose of performing satellite tracking research of diving birds, specifically Northern Gannets (Morus bassana), and consulting with project collaborators. Most field work (aimed at trapping and tagging gannets) will be conducted during the late- and post-breeding periods in Newfoundland, Canada. Tracking will focus on migration and winter periods, when a substantial proportion of the North American gannet population is found in Federal waters off the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast. Several wind energy facilities are currently being planned for offshore waters of the mid-Atlantic United States, and it is unknown whether these facilities may have detrimental impacts on many bird species by exposing them to increased mortality through turbine collisions, and/or altering behavior and flight pathways. Under Federal laws, the Service has an obligation to protect populations of marine birds that frequent offshore areas where wind facilities may be constructed. The Service can fulfill this obligation by evaluating threats posed to birds by proposed offshore wind facilities, helping partner agency Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) make informed regulatory decisions on approving wind facilities in Federal U.S. waters (3 to 20 nautical miles of shore) that are under their jurisdiction. In order to evaluate whether future wind facilities could pose a risk to marine birds in Federal waters off the mid-Atlantic U.S., there is a need to collect information on distribution and behavior (e.g., flight pathways, timing, etc.) of a broad suite of birds that use these areas.

The Montevecchi Lab is uniquely qualified to serve as a primary collaborator in this effort. Dr. William Montevecchi has conducted several decades of ecological and behavioral research on marine bird species to better understand potential threats and engage conservation actions (http://play.psych.mun.ca/~mont/). His lab has collected the most extensive dataset of movement and breeding information available for Northern Gannets in North America, and has a mastery of gannet capture and movement tracking methods. Last year, the lab tagged gannets with Platform Terminal Transmitter satellite tags (PTTs) to identify impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and geo-location loggers to track broad interseasonal movement patterns of gannets across the North Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Montevecchi and his staff and students currently have plans to capture and tag Northern Gannets with tracking devices during late summer 2012, on breeding colonies in Newfoundland. As one of our primary research collaborators, the Montevecchi Lab will provide staff, equipment, and knowledge necessary to tag Northern Gannets with PTTs on and around breeding colonies, in pursuit of our study objectives. Additionally, Dr. Montevecchi will serve as a consultant for experimental work to capture and tag gannets on the wintering ground (at sea), and contribute to study design and analysis of our gannet subprojects. The service knows of no other organization with the high level of qualifications and readiness to carry out the proposed project. Therefore we selected the Montevecchi Lab with minimal competition.

Specific tasks that the Montevecchi Lab will perform include:

• Consulting with project collaborators to plan capture and satellite tagging of 6 adult Northern Gannets in marine waters and bays of Maryland and New Jersey

• Planning and conducting field work in September 2012 to capture and satellite tag (PTTs provided by the Service) 9 adult Northern Gannets at a breeding colony at Cape St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, Canada – birds from this colony are known to use the waters off the coast of the mid-Atlantic U.S. during migration and wintering periods

• Contributing to overall project study design

• Collecting and mapping location data transmitted by PTTs during their functional life, and providing all data to Service staff

• Assisting with data analysis on a limited basis, as required to meet project goals

• Contributing to an annual report (due October 31, 2012) summarizing study results

The service will have substantial involvement in the project including the following activities:

• Assisting with project design and implementation

• Managing project funds and coordinating effective interactions among project collaborators to assure that project objectives are carried out efficiently

• Providing logistical oversight for work in all geographical areas and for all focal species, including planning and moderating project meetings with all collaborators

• Procuring satellite tracking equipment and providing it to the cooperator

• Managing satellite tracking service accounts

• Assisting in field operations and data collection when/if necessary

• Analyzing and presenting location data to meet objectives

• Compiling all data and results from cooperator and other collaborators, and overseeing the drafting of an annual report to project funder, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

• Overseeing funding distribution and planning for subsequent field seasons (with agreement extension)

• Serving as project liaison to BOEM, and advising them how to effectively implement project findings