Action

Action Synopsis: Bird Conservation About Actions

Use ‘mussel socks’ to prevent birds from attacking shellfish

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    50%
  • Certainty
    41%
  • Harms
    0%

Key messages

A randomised, replicated controlled experiment in Canada found that fewer medium-sized mussels were taken from mussel socks with a protective ‘sleeve’, compared to un-sleeved socks. There were no differences for small or large mussels.

 

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A randomised, replicated controlled experiment in October 2002 in three bays on Prince Edward Island, Canada (Dionne et al. 2006), found that mussel socks with a ‘sleeve’ of a biodegradable cotton-polyester mesh lost fewer medium-sized (20 mm) mussels to greater scaup Aythya marila predation than un-sleeved socks. Losses were similar for small (14 mm) and large (26 mm) mussels, but more small mussels migrated through sleeved socks (thus more vulnerable to predation).

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

 

Where has this evidence come from?

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Bird Conservation

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation
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What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

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