Variability in habitat value of commercial salt production ponds: implications for waterbird management and tidal marsh restoration planning

• Published in: Hydrobiologia 2012-11, Vol.697 (1), p.139-155
• Main Authors: Athearn, Nicole D., Takekawa, John Y., Bluso-Demers, Jill D., Shinn, Joel M., Arriana Brand, L., Robinson-Nilsen, Caitlin W., Strong, Cheryl M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic birds; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Environmental restoration; Evaporation; Freshwater; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Habitats; Life Sciences; Limnology; Limnology and Aquatic Birds; Podiceps nigricollis; Ponds; Salts; Wetlands; Wildfowl; Zoology
• ISSN: 0018-8158; 1573-5117
• DOI: 10.1007/s10750-012-1177-y

Salt evaporation ponds are used in place of lost natural estuarine habitats for foraging and roosting by waterbirds around the world, but have started to be decommissioned in some areas due to low profitability. In San Francisco Bay, three former salt pond complexes (Alviso, Eden Landing, and Ravenswood) have been decommissioned, i.e., taken out of commission, and are planned for marsh restoration. We compared total and foraging abundance and densities of ducks, shorebirds, and piscivores, as well as eared grebes ( Podiceps nigricollis ) among decommissioned and commercial pond complexes. Complex use was consistent within groups and variable among groups, with most use occurring in decommissioned ponds: 73% of ducks were observed in the Alviso complex and 9% in the commercial ponds; 51% of shorebirds were in the Eden Landing complex and only 17% in commercial ponds; and 56% of piscivores were in the Alviso complex and