Description
There is no "full announcement" associated with this notice, as this is a Notice of Intent to Award a Grant Agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) for the purpose of performing satellite tracking research on common eiders. Between 1998 and 2012, 12 recognized mortality events occurred in common eiders along the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The numbers of eiders involved in these outbreaks ranged from 30 to 2800, with estimated total losses exceeding 6,000 birds. Most of the effected eiders were found dead without showing premonitory signs of disease. The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) received 24 common eider carcasses from three of these mortality events for postmortem examination between 2009 and 2011. At necropsy, common gross lesions in the examined birds included emaciation, skeletal muscle congestion, multifocal hepatic necrosis, and splenomegaly. The most common histologic lesions included myositis; multifocal to coalescing hepatic necrosis; splenic necrosis; and renal tubular necrosis and/or hemorrhage. In 2010, a novel orthomyxovirus tentatively named Wellfleet Bay virus (WFBV) was isolated by Dr. Allison from the tissues of four of these birds. Based on initial genetic comparisons of the three tentative polymerase proteins (PB1, PB2, PA), WFBV was demonstrated to be closely related to members of the newly proposed Quaranfilvirus genus, which includes Quaranfil, Johnston Atoll, and Lake Chad viruses. To date, common eiders are the only species known to be infected with WFBV. This Agreement is entered into in support of cooperative efforts to characterize the ecology and movements of the WFBV, including the pathophysiology, epidemiology, genetic composition and exposure of this virus among common eiders, as well as to better understand the long-term implications of WFBV on common eider populations. This Agreement also serves to facilitate cooperation between State and federal agencies, universities and conservation partners in addressing emerging disease issues and migratory bird conservation in the Northeast. BRI will work to capture common eiders, collect serum samples, tag them with platform terminal transmitter satellite tracking tags (PTTs), and collect and report fine-scale movement data of tagged individuals using waters of the mid-Atlantic U.S. and Canada during migration, breeding and wintering periods. BRI will also better identify connectivity and distribution of common eiders across seasons to better understand the potential mechanism of disease transmission of WFBV among common eiders. BRI is uniquely qualified for this project, possessing the expertise, personnel, and equipment (specialized boats and boat trailers, vehicles, trapping gear, etc.) necessary to carry out work throughout the study area. During the last 20 years, the group has been an international leader in the research of seabirds, including common eiders. Their staff includes at least three experts, who have spearheaded the majority of recent field studies involving seabirds in the U.S. Atlantic region. FWS knows of no other organization with the high level of qualifications and readiness to carry out the proposed project. Specific tasks that BRI will perform include: (1) Conduct field work during 2013 and 2014 to capture common eiders within the Boston Harbor Islands area of Cape Cod Bay, MA; collect blood samples from each captured common eider, band and implant 5-8 male common eiders with a PTT (provided by the Service) during 2013 and again during 2014, and (2) Manage location tracking service accounts, collect and map all location data transmitted by each PTT during its functional life; provide all data to Service staff; and contribute to annual reports summarizing the results until all transmitters deployed during this project are no longer functioning. BRI will also better identify connectivity and distribution of common eiders that breed in Cape Cod Bay across seasons, including identifying molting and wintering areas using PTTs.