Personal watercraft and boats: Coastal conflicts with common terns

Abstract

Human disturbance to nesting colonial birds has increased with the massive development of coastal regions and rapid improvement in technology of watercraft. Disturbance to nesting common terns (Sterna hirundo) by boats was examined over a five-year period, with different degrees of management of personal watercraft (PWC) activities. In the five years before this study, reproductive success had declined to zero, perhaps due to excessive personal watercraft activity. Terns responded with significantly more upflights to PWCs that raced by and circled the island, than to motor boats that travelled slowly and remained in the channel. Public meetings and an educational campaign were successful in decreasing the percent of PWCs that raced and ran around die island, which in turn decreased die number of tern upflights and increased reproductive success. Without continued public meetings and education, PWCs began to race around the island, and the terns responded by moving from island edges to central areas that were lower and vulnerable to tidal flooding. In the following year, designated areas for rental PWC use were established, which again decreased the PWC traffic, allowing the birds to nest on the island edges. All management practices increased reproductive success, but a combination of education, public meetings, increased signage, enforcement, and designated zones for PWCs resulted in the greatest increase in reproductive success. Involving stakeholders in the process allowed people and birds to coexist, but continued vigilance and public education were essential to successful management. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.