ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 6, 2005) - The descendants of five pet mute swans
that escaped from their Talbot County home in 1962 have grown to nearly
4000 in the Chesapeake Bay region - and natural resource managers are
concerned that without control of adult swans this population, which has
more doubled nine times in forty years, is about to double again.
Mute Swans, a native of Asia, are the largest species of waterfowl in
the Chesapeake Bay region and one of the world's most aggressive bird
species. Their aggressive behavior has led to the displacement of
native birds from nesting and feeding areas. Mute swans were
responsible for driving the last remaining colony of Black Skimmers from
the Chesapeake Bay and for eliminating important tern nesting habitats.
But it is in the Chesapeake's underwater grass beds that the mute swan
is having the most devastating effect. Already reeling from decades of
water quality degradation, this important aquatic ecosystem is now being
devoured at an alarming rate by the Chesapeake's burgeoning mute swan
population. The current population eats an estimated 10.5 million
pounds of aquatic grasses every year. If the population is allowed to
double again, the level of consumption and disruption will rise
accordingly.
Aquatic grasses are the base of most of the food chains in the
Chesapeake estuary and many plants and animals depend upon them for
survival, including many commercially important species. Native
waterfowl graze the same grasses, but are only in the Chesapeake Bay
region for over-wintering. Because mute swans are in the Chesapeake
year-round, they spend the summer eating the new plants that are
critical for the re-establishment of aquatic grass beds. Grass bed
restoration, a key component in the effort to restore the Chesapeake
Bay, has been severely hampered by mute swans, who can wipe out a
restoration planting in a few days.
Animal rights groups have chosen the mute swan as a favorite cause,
alleging that State and Federal wildlife agencies are using the mute
swan as a scapegoat for environmental problems, despite the fact that
dozens of mainstream conservation groups, including the Audubon Society
and the American Bird Conservancy and have endorsed immediate mute swan
control. Animal rights activists have conducted a series of court
actions against the Federal government that have prevented the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources from controlling mute swans over the
last two years. New legislation recently passed by Congress makes it
clear that this invasive species has no federal protection. However,
the animal activists have made it clear that they intend to keep up
their court challenges.
For more information about other Invasive Species of Concern, visit www.mdinvasives.org
photos available electronically on request.