The osprey, a fish-eating raptor, has made a significant recovery since the banning of DDT in 1972. However, recent observations indicate a troubling decrease in chick survival rates around the Chesapeake Bay. Bryan Watts has noted that many ospreys are failing to fledge enough chicks, which he attributes to a decline in menhaden, an essential fish in their diet. This issue has stirred conflict between environmentalists and the fishing industry, which maintains that the osprey's plight may not be linked to fishing practices.
Watts has documented an alarming trend. The birds, which breed in many parts of the U.S., are failing to successfully fledge enough chicks around their key population center of the Chesapeake Bay.
The longtime biologist blames the decline of menhaden, a small schooling fish critical to the osprey diet. Without menhaden to eat, chicks are starving and dying in nests.
Collection
[
|
...
]