A Department of Environmental Protection report shows the breeding population of the piping plover is on the decline in some Jersey Shore counties.
Last year, just 103 breeding pairs were counted in the state, a 10% decrease from the previous count.
It s not clear why there is such a decline, said Christina Davis, environmental specialist with the Endangered and Non-Game Species Program. But in the past few years, there have been wildly fluctuating populations. Some years there are relatively high productivity, which means the high number of chicks surviving, so it would be expected that the population would increase. That s happening some years, but declining in others.
A Department of Environmental Protection report shows the breeding population of the piping plover is on the decline in some Jersey Shore counties.
Last year, just 103 breeding pairs were counted in the state, a 10% decrease from the previous count.
It s not clear why there is such a decline, said Christina Davis, environmental specialist with the Endangered and Non-Game Species Program. But in the past few years, there have been wildly fluctuating populations. Some years there are relatively high productivity, which means the high number of chicks surviving, so it would be expected that the population would increase. That s happening some years, but declining in others.
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