Marine Bird and Sea Otter Population Abundance of Prince William Sound, Alaska:Trends Following the T/V EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill, 1989-96. Restoration Project 96159. EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report

摘要

The authors conducted small boat surveys to estimate marine bird and sea otter(Enhydra lutris) populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska during March and July 1996, using methods developed in 1989-91. During 1996, the authors recorded 83 bird and 13 mammal species. To examine population trends from 1989-96, the authors assumed that in the absence of the oil spill, population estimates in the oiled zone would change at the same rate as those in the unoiled zone. To reduce the effect of annual variation on the trends of marine bird populations in Prince William Sound from 1989-96, the authors determined a ratio of a species' or species groups' population estimate from the oiled zone to the estimate in the unoiled zone by year. For Prince William Sound as a whole, the authors examined population trends from 1989-96, using regression analyses.