American Oystercatcher Makes a Breathtaking Comeback After 15 Long Years Proving Crucial to the Marine Ecosystem

Conservation efforts often seem to be exhausting because of factors like pollution remaining a constant thorn on the side of activists. Despite challenges, the constant efforts of devoted conservationists have caused improvement in the condition of many beings. One such success story was recently shared by experts, stated The Cool Down.

The being that has witnessed a massive turnaround in fortunes is the American oystercatcher. These birds are primarily found on Atlantic and Gulf Coast beaches. American oystercatchers mostly live in habitats like beaches, upland dunes, dredged spoil islands, and marsh islands, according to Animal Diversity.

American oystercatchers have been losing living spaces steadily to developments that have been happening alongside beaches, as well as to the intrusion brought in by other birds. Certain 19th-century incidents involving market hunting and egg collection have also led to a deterioration in the numbers of these birds. Due to disturbances caused by the human population, these birds are often forced to nest in salty marshes.

The shorebird population has been on a steady decline for the last four decades, stated The Cool Down. American oystercatcher a bird belonging to this group had dwindled to around 10,000 in 2009. These decreasing numbers are fatal not only to the longevity of shorebird species in the world but also to coastal ecosystems. Any disbalance to the ecosystems in place can facilitate further damage within an already vulnerable environment. 

Shiloh Schulte, senior shorebird scientist at Manomet, launched a project related to population studies, which ultimately helped American oystercatchers to replenish. The studies made several organizations identify the dire situation in which the red-orange billed birds had found themselves. American Oystercatcher Working Group and Manomet collaborated to arrange funding of $10 million for the sake of these birds. The organizations started working towards their goal of replenishing the population of American oystercatchers, some 15 years ago. In the last decade, they have invested in practices like predation and disturbance management. Their biggest focus has been on limiting human interference within the life cycle of these birds. 

Manomet has also inculcated improvements in several places where American oystercatchers typically choose to inhabitate. Throughout the process, the organizations steadily monitored the changes in the population of these birds, to ensure that their strategies were working in the right direction. The changes brought in by these organizations have given a healthy push to the numbers of American oystercatchers. "The American Oystercatcher is an important part of coastal ecosystems, as it helps regulate shellfish populations and maintain balance in intertidal habitats. Targeted recovery efforts over the past 15 years resulted in a 45% population rebound," a Facebook post by Manomet claimed. Their numbers have increased to 45,000, as per the estimates provided by organizations.

Conservationists are ecstatic by the results, and are hopeful that similar results will follow for other shorebirds. Manomet, along with the Tybee Island Marine Science Center organized the Tybee Spring Shorebird Festival on February 20, to raise more awareness regarding the survival issues faced by the American oystercatcher and other shorebirds.