started · updated
Stockton University study finds 85% loss of South Jersey osprey chicks
A study led by Stockton University indicates a significant decline in osprey chick survival rates in South Jersey. Researchers found that 85 percent of chicks at monitored nest sites along the Mullica River and Great Bay were lost during the current season.
Biology instructor Melanie Schroer reported that while 54 eggs and three chicks were recorded in May, only nine chicks successfully fledged by August. The study suggests that a lack of adequate food supply, specifically Atlantic menhaden or bunker, may be a primary cause for the decline.
These findings challenge a recent reclassification by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Fish and Wildlife agency, which moved ospreys from “threatened” to “stable” status earlier this year. The decline in nesting success appears to be a broader trend affecting much of the East Coast.
Entities
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey · Melanie Schroer · Mullica River · New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection · Stockton University
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] A lack of sufficient food is an apparent reason for the decline in osprey chick survival. 1057thehawk.com · mybeachradio.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Osprey nest productivity and nesting success are declining in New Jersey and along much of the East Coast. 1057thehawk.com · mybeachradio.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Of 54 eggs and three chicks recorded in May, only nine chicks fledged by August in the monitored South Jersey sites. 1057thehawk.com · mybeachradio.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] 85 percent of osprey chicks at monitored South Jersey nest sites were lost this season. 1057thehawk.com · mybeachradio.com