Densities of Barrow's Goldeneyes during winter in prince william sound, Alaska in relation to habitat, food and history of oil contamination

We evaluated variation in densities of Barrow's Goldeneyes (Bucephala islan dica) during winter at 214 sites within oiled and unoiled study areas in Pr ince William Sound, Alaska in relation to physical habitat attributes, prey biomass, and history of habitat contamination by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Using general linear model analyses, we found that goldeneye densit ies were positively associated with occurrence of a stream within 200 m, la ck of exposure to wind and waves, and mixed (versus rocky) substrate. We sp eculate that these associations relate to habitat profitability via selecti on of beneficial attributes and avoidance of detrimental features. We also determined that biomass of blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus), the primary pr ey was not related to Barrow's Goldeneye densities; we suggest that mussel standing stock exceeds predation demands in our study areas and, thus, does not dictate goldeneye distribution. After accounting for habitat effects, we detected no effect of history of oil contamination on Barrow's Goldeneye densities, suggesting that populations have recovered from the oil spill. Although other studies documented hydrocarbon exposure in Barrow's Goldeney es through at least 1997, either the level of exposure did not affect popul ations via reductions in survival, or effects of oil exposure were offset b y immigration.