USGS Challenges Simple Narrative Linking Menhaden to Osprey Decline
A letter from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sent last week to the House Natural Resources Committee indicates multiple environmental stressors - not just prey availability - are responsible for recent osprey reproduction issues in the Chesapeake Bay.
The USGS' conclusions challenge narratives pushed by menhaden fishery opponents, including a widely publicized study by Dr. Bryan Watts of the Center for Conservation Biology, which linked a decline in osprey reproduction in Virginia's Mobjack Bay to reduced availability of menhaden.
Menhaden increase in osprey diets is statistically insignificant
Specifically, the USGS finds that the...
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