Conflict resolution in coastal waters: the case of personal watercraft

Published source details Burger J. & Leonard J. (2000) Conflict resolution in coastal waters: the case of personal watercraft. Marine Policy, 24, 61-67.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Start educational programmes for personal watercraft owners Action Link
	Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance at nest sites Action Link

Start educational programmes for personal watercraft owners

A before-and-after trial from July-August in 1997-8 in the waterways surrounding a common tern Sterna hirundo nesting island in Barnegat Bay, USA (Burger & Leonard 2000), found that disturbance and reproductive costs caused by personal watercraft (PWC) disturbance significantly decreased after the implementation of educational campaigns in late 1997. The proportion of PWCs moving past the nesting island decreased from 60% in 1997 to 30% in 1998 and PWCs moved at significantly slower speeds. No PWCs went all the way around the nesting island in 1998. The number of terns displaced by PWCs significantly declined (from an average of 40 birds flying over the nesting island in 1997 to 20 birds in 1998). Fledging rate in 1998 was almost 1 chick/nest, similar to before PWC influx (pre-1996). The educational campaign was aimed at local PWC rental businesses and owners and signs were posted around tern nesting islands.
Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance at nest sites

A before-and-after trial from July-August in 1997-1998 in the waterways surrounding a common tern Sterna hirundo nesting island in Barnegat Bay, USA (Burger & Leonard 2000), found that disturbance and reproductive costs caused by personal watercraft disturbance significantly decreased after the implementation of educational campaigns and increased signage in late 1997. This study is discussed in ‘Start educational programs for personal watercraft owners’.