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BIOLOGICAL REPORT 31 



fish runs have been all but eliminated. However, 

 around Buzzards Bay it appears that simple impedi- 

 ments to migration by construction of dams with- 

 out fish ladders or alteration associated with devel- 

 opment, fanning, or cranberry growing and even 

 failure to maintain existing runs are the prime causes 

 of declines of anadromous fish popula- 

 tions. Renewed interest in this fishery around Buz- 

 zards Bay in recent years, however, has resulted in 

 increased attention to maintaining or improving the 

 existing fish runs, and in reestablishing some of those 

 lost through neglect or alteration. 



4.4.2. Endangered Species 



Some endangered and threatened species have 

 been identified in the region of Cape Cod and the 

 Buzzards Bay watershed (Table 4. 1 2 ). To success- 

 fully preserve these species, it is necessary to pre- 

 serve their habitats since the decline of many ani- 

 mal species is due to loss of nesting or ecological 

 habitat. Species at the limits of their ranges are par- 

 ticularly sensitive as additional suitable habitat may 

 not be readily available in response to alteration or 

 destruction of existing areas. In addition to the ob- 

 vious concerns over diminishing wildlife populations 

 and decreasing habitat for many coastal species, 

 indirect effects of activities in the coastal zone may 

 also impact populations. The use of fertilizers and 

 pesticides, for example, may affect areas far from 

 the source of application. Beyond the direct impact 

 of development, the mere presence of people may 

 adversely affect the territorial behavior of many 

 animals. Pets roaming free on the beach may act as 

 predators and cause birds to abandon their nests. 

 Stabilization of eroding dune systems near endan- 

 gered nesting sites by "planting" used Christmas trees 

 has been identified as problematic as they provide 

 hiding places for many predatory animals. Even kite 

 flying near ground-nesting birds can affect behav- 

 ior because the kites are perceived as large avian 

 predators. 



Because the list of rare and endangered species 

 (Table 4. 1 2) is substantial and new species are be- 

 ing added, a species by species discussion is be- 

 yond the scope of this text. Several species, 



however, most notably avian fauna, are the focus of 

 intensive, integrated, and highly visible protection 

 programs and are briefly discussed. 



Sandy beaches surrounding Buzzards Bay, no- 

 tably Little Beach and Horseneck Beach on the 

 bay's western shore, provide habitat for the feder- 

 ally listed piping plover (Charadrius melodus; Fig. 

 4.11). Piping plovers are indigenous to sandy 

 beaches and have evolved a sand-colored body that 

 is difficult to spot. Migrating from areas of the south 

 Atlantic coast to northern Mexico, they arrive in late 

 March and April and nest on the open beaches 

 through August (O'Brien 1 990). In the 1 800's. pip- 

 ing plovers were extremely abundant but were 

 hunted to near extinction by the early 1900"s for 

 the millinery trade. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act 

 of 1 9 1 8 provided the piping plover with some pro- 

 tection, and populations increased into the 1 940's; 

 thereafter, human disturbance and predation of nest- 

 ing sites, primarily from development and increased 

 recreational use of beaches, once again resulted in 

 population decline. Recent surveys indicate less than 

 a thousand pairs occur along the Atlantic Coast (D. 

 Mignogno. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley. 

 Mass., personal communication). Each nesting sea- 

 son, beach areas of active and potential nesting are 

 cordoned off or fenced to exclude people and 

 predators, and nesting success is followed and re- 

 corded to gauge population dynamics. Considered 

 of "special concern" by the Massachusetts Natural 

 Heritage Program and Endangered Species Pro- 

 gram are least terns, whose nesting habitats— 

 sparsely vegetated regions of the barrier beach above 

 the high tide line — are similar to those of the piping 

 plover. In the Buzzards Bay area, efforts undertaken 

 to protect plovers are frequently expanded to in- 

 clude nesting habitats for least terns. 



Buzzards Bay. specifically Bird Island located in 

 Marion, also provides habitat for another federally 

 listed endangered species, the roseate tern. These 

 birds breed primarily on small islands and occasion- 

 ally at the end of barrier beaches and build nests 

 under or next to vegetation or some other object 

 affording protection. Two distinct breeding popula- 

 tions are found in North America: one occurs along 



